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A MODERN MARTYR 



THEOPHANE vfeNARD 

(BLESSED) ' 




REVISED AND ANNOTATED BY THE 

VERY REV. JAMES A. WALSH, M. AP. 



CATHOLIC FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY, 
MARYRNOLL. OSSINING P. O., NEW YORK 



iff 3roN Csrtfinal JFarU? 

ntdfiji^of of intern Sotfc 



" The world martyrs the Church, and the Church subdues 
the world. The words of our Divine Lord are always verified, 
' I come not to send peace upon earth, but a sword.' The age 
of martyrs, as of miracles, never ceases. Martyrdom is a 
perpetual note upon the Mystical Body, which has the Stigmata 
of Jesus ever fresh upon it." — Cardinal Wiseman. 



COFYSIGHT, 1913. 



FIFTH EDITION 



MAR -4 1914 i 

€^'CI,A3T1216 



Bebitatiott 



This edition of Blessed Theophane Venard's life is 
dedicated to the Catholic youth of America in the 
hope and belief that among them many will be found 
to follow Christ the whole way into the wilderness 
for the souls that He has died to save. 



C O N*T E N T S . 

Preface. 

CHAPTER I. PAGE 

Birth and School Days 1 

CHAPTER II. 
At College— Doue and Montmorillon 10 

CHAPTER III. 
The Seminarian at Poitiers 20 

CHAPTER IV. 
Breaking Home Ties 34 

CHAPTER V. 
In Paris — The " Missions fitrangercs *' 47 

CHAPTER VI. 
Last Days in Paris— The Departure 61 

CHAPTER VII. 
The Voyage — Antwerp to Hong-Kong SO 

CHAPTER VIII. 
In Hong-Kong — Final Preparation 91 



CONTENTS— CONTINUED. 

CHAPTER IX. PAGE 

Arrival at Tong-king 105 

CHAPTER X. 
Persecutions in Tong-king 116 

CHAPTER XI. 
Labors and Trials 125 

CHAPTER XII. 
Under Fire 145 

CHAPTER XIII. 
In the Caves 161 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Arrest and Martyrdom 173 

CHAPTER XV. 
First Anniversary and Retrospect 207 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Afterword 219 

Hymn of Sister Therese. 232 

Chant of Departure , 234 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



J. Theophane Venard Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Boys at the Preparatory Seminary 16 

St. Loup (General View) 36 

Paris Seminary (Chapel) ^ 48 

The River Thouet (St. Loup) 56 

Ceremony of Departure 78 

Fr. Prosper Delpech 96 

Typical Junks in Tong-king ^ 112 

The Venard Home (St. Loup) 130 

Bishop Theurel 146 

Tomb of Tu Due 158 

" Melanie "* 192 

Interior of Parish Church (St. Loup) 208 

Father Eusebius Venard at Forty Years of Age 218 

Father Eusebius Venard in 1905 224 



PREFACE. 

In the city of Paris on the 5th day of June, 1852, 
two young men were ordained to the priesthood. One, 
born in Ireland twenty-three years before, was ap- 
pointed almost immediately to the chair of Funda- 
mental Dogma in the Seminary of St. Sulpice at Paris. 
Nineteen years later, during the revolt of the Com- 
munists, this priest, from his prison cell in the Concier- 
gerie, defied his persecutors and narrowly escaped 
massacre. Afterwards, in 1884, he came to America 
and, until his death in 1900, gave to the clergy of the 
United States the ripened fruit of his broad and cul- 
tured mind. 

The other young man, a native of France, was or- 
dained for the foreign missions of Eastern Asia, and 
four months later sailed for Tong-king, at the south- 
east extremity of China, where, after seven years of 
apostolic labor, he was beheaded for the faith. 

These two young men were John Baptist Hogan, 
the late honored superior of St. John's Seminary in 
Boston, and Jean Theophane Venard, now Blessed, 
the subject of these letters. 

To Father Hogan, his early guide in the spiritual 
life, the editor of this volume is indebted for a first 
acquaintance with the story of Theophane Venard, 
whose letters, read in Seminary days at Brighton, 
have always been a treasured memory. 

In the summer of 1903, while at the Paris Seminary 
for Foreign Missions, he learned that Theophane's 
youngest brother, Eusebius, was still living, and at 
once arranged to visit him. 

He found Eusebius a venerable priest, cure of the 



Preface 

little village of Assai, in the diocese of Poitiers. With 
this visit began a cordial friendship, which became 
more intimate through subsequent correspondence and 
two later sojourns in the province of Deux-Sevres. 

In Assai and at St. Loup, the martyr's birthplace, 
a few miles away, were secured most of the photo- 
graphs and extra data that appear in this volume. 

A few weeks after his first visit to Assai the writer 
called, in London, upon the late Lady Herbert of 
Lea, to whom English-speaking Catholics are indebted 
for the discovery of the charming letters which make 
up this life. When Lady Herbert learned of the 
writer's intention to publish these letters anew, she 
expressed the hope that her former work, which had 
long been out of print, might be of some service. 

Lady Herbert's kindness was accepted and many 
of the letters which appeared in the earlier translation 
were embodied substantially in this new life. 

Catholic Foreign Mission Seminary, Maryknoll, N. Y. 
Feast of the Presentation, November 21, 1913. 



FROM LADY HERBERT'S PREFACE. 

^'Theophane Venard was no ascetic saint, trembling 
at every manifestation of human or natural feeling. 
He was eminently a tender and dutiful son; a most 
devoted and loving brother; an equally devoted and 
attached friend. Neither did he consider these warm 
affections incompatible with the great work to which 
he had given his life. His devotion to his sister, 
whom he calls * part of his very life,' shines through 
every page of this touching and beautiful correspond- 
ence. She is the first thought of his boyish years, she 
is his last thought in death. Yet all this strong human 
love did not prevent his sacrificing everything to God 
— leaving the home he loved so fondly, the sister he 
idolized, the family tie which bound him with what 
others might have considered iron links, — everything, 
in fact, which made life dear, — when the voice of the 
Master called him to go forth from his people and his 
country into a strange and distant land, to preach 
His word and do His work, and save the souls for 
whom He died upon the Cross. This is the striking 
characteristic of the life before us — human love, sur- 
passing all ordinary home affections, willingly and 
joyfully offered up on the altar of our Lord for the 
salvation of the heathen who knew Him not/' 



LADY HERBERT'S TRIBUTE. 

''Herbert House, 

Belgrave Square, S. W., 

January 4, 1906. 
*'Dear Father Walsh :— 

''I am delighted with the beautiful new edition of 
Theophane Venard's Life, which you so kindly sent 
to me, and which reached me on New Year's Day. It 
is so infinitely superior to the original that they cannot 
be compared, and the insertion of the pictures gives 
an additional interest to it. 

"Cardinal Vaughan, years ago, asked me to put 
a penny edition of the 'Life' among the publications 
of the Catholic Truth Society, so that Theophane 
Venard's glorious example might be followed by many 
English lads ; and it answered admirably. It has been 
sold more largely than almost any other of the penny 
pamphlets. 

''I am very grateful to you for having brought 
out this excellent biography of one so dear to all who 
love the foreign missions, which are more dear to 
me than any other Catholic work. 

"Yours with many grateful thanks, and much 
respect, 

Very sincerely, 

M. E. Herbert.'* 



A MODERN MARTYR 

(THEOPHANE VENARD) 



CHAPTER L 
Birth and School Days. 

St. Loup-sur-Thouet is a little French town in the 
department of Deux-Sevres, in the diocese of Poitiers, 
situated some miles north of Parthenay. Here begins 
the beautiful golden valley which gives its name to 
Airvault (aurea vallis), a busy little town built in the 
shape of an amphitheatre, and possessing, besides the 
ruins of an old castle, a very interesting Gothic church. 
Airvault is not more than three miles from St. Loup, 
which, surrounded by numerous hills, is hardly dis- 
cernible even at a short distance. 

In spite of the ill-natured assertions of a modern 
author, the population of St. Loup is too serious and 
religious to have imbibed any Voltairian spirit. Even 
should it be true that the author of "Henriade" was 
born there, St. Loup now boasts of a more glorious 
hero ; for from its soil has sprung in these latter days, 
— a martyr. 

Jean Theophane Venard was born at St. Loup on 
the 21st of November, 1829, the feast of the Presenta- 
tion of the Blessed Virgin. He belonged to one of 
those patriarchal families in which religion and honor 
hold the first place. His father, M. Jean Venard, 

1 



2 A Modern Martyr 

whose family came originally from Anjou, filled the 
post of village school-master with as much ability as 
devotion to his duties. He gave up this fatiguing work 
only after thirty years of toil, to accept a position as 
justice of the peace in the department of which St. 
Loup was the chief town. There his experience in 
business and his good judgment made him invaluable 
to his townspeople, until the day when his laborious 
and useful labors were brought to a close. 

His wife, Mme. Marie Gueret, was a gentle, pious 
woman, simple and loving in character, entirely devoted 
to the care of her own home. She had six children. 
Two of these died as infants, but the others, Melanie, 
Theophane, Henry, and Eusebius, will all play an im- 
portant part in this little history. Under the direction 
of these good parents, Theophane Venard made rapid 
progress in virtue. He combined the loving, gentle 
character of his mother with the firmness and resolu- 
tion of his father. His contemporaries still talk of the 
amusing contrast between his small, baby figure and 
his grave, quiet manner. His greatest pleasure was 
to watch the goats or the cows on the hillside, an oc- 
cupation which fostered his love of solitude and his 
spirit of recollection. These hillsides and pleasant 
fields hold an important place in the story of the 
future missioner, for here the first thoughts of his 
vocation came upon him ; and the feelings then inspired 
remained among the sweetest of his whole life. 

The country around St. Loup is very picturesque, 
but it owes its great fertility to the rivers, the Thouet 
and the Cebron, which intersect the valley in opposite 
directions. Between the beds of these two rivers is a 
hillside called ''Le Bel-Air," on account of its health- 
ful situation and the glorious view on all sides. When 
Theophane was only nine years old, his delight was to 



Theophane Venard 3 

pasture his father's goats on this spot with his sister 
or a friend. Here they would sing, or read books 
which they had borrowed from the pastor of the 
village. Among these books, the "Annals of the 
Propagation of the Faith'' had the greatest charm for 
the little boy. One day he was reading aloud to his 
companions the life of the Venerable Charles Cornay, 
whose martyrdom was then recent. The account of 
the sufferings and death of this martyr for Jesus 
Christ touched him even to tears, so that at the end he 
cried out, "And I too will go to Tong-king, and I too 
will be a martyr !'' 

Shortly afterwards his father joined the little group, 
and Theophane, turning to him with a gravity very- 
unusual at his age, said, "My father, how much is this 
field worth?" "Well, I really don't know exactly, my 
child,'' replied his father. "Why do you ask?" "Be- 
cause," the boy answered, "if you could give it to 
me, and I could have it for my share, I would sell it, 
and then I should be able to go to college and study." 
His father, surprised at such serious thoughts in one 
so young, put him off with some simple answer; but 
he thought over these words which gave him a new 
light on the character and intentions of his son. He 
soon allowed the boy to learn Latin with one or two 
other children who went for that purpose to the pres- 
bytery, and Theophane succeeded so well that it was 
decided to send him to college for a regular course 
of study. 

At this time, tEe principal of the College of Doue, in 
the diocese of Angers, was a brother of the venerable 
pastor of St. Loup, and to him young Venard was sent 
in October, 1841, together with a friend whom he had 
known and loved from childhood. This friendship 
never cooled, and ten years afterwards Theophane 



4 A Modern Martyr 

wrote from Paris, — "Until I came to the Seminaire 
des Missions Etrangeres, the only intimate friend I 
ever had was one who had been born in my own vil- 
lage, and who was dear to me as my own soul. The 
same fatherly hand baptized us; side by side we sat 
on our benches at school; and at the very same time 
we were transplanted together to a new home, where 
another father received us both with open arms. My 
friend was older, cleverer, and wiser than I, and took 
a higher place in the College, but our friendship was 
not in the least affected by this. He flew, and I 
crawled; but we were each quite contented. I was 
transferred to the 'Petit Seminaire'* ; and there we 
found each other again in the same cloister, sharing 
the same masters, the same studies, the same compan- 
ions. God, who had united us in childhood, gave us 
but one thought, one aim, and one object in life. But 
the day at last came when we were to be separated — 
my life seemed to be broken altogether! But I have 
the firm hope that we shall be reunited in Heaven." 

No sooner was he fairly settled at college, than 
Theophane gave his whole mind to the fulfilment of 
his duties. He was a model to the other students, 
not only through the hours of study but also during 
recreation, when he showed himself the gayest of the 
whole party. He bore all ill-nature or contradiction 
with such good humor that those who were at first 
inclined to tease him soon gave it up. The more 
people vexed him, or gave him pain, the greater was 
his kindness toward them, and he rarely failed to 
win their hearts and make them ashamed of their 
previous behavior. 

He gladly entered into all the little private devo- 



*Preparatory Seminary. 






Theophane Venard 5 

tions of the students, which were in harmony with 
his taste and affections. Even as a child he had vowed 
a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin. He was 
inscribed among the children of Mary, at Notre Dame 
des Victoires, and enrolled himself in the work of the 
Propagation of the Faith, determined to help mis- 
sioners as far as he could, until he became one himself. 
He tried also to lead, as much as he was permitted, 
a mortified life. When, on a winter's day, one of the 
masters, seeing him suffer very much from chilblains 
on his hands and feet, told him to go and warm him- 
self by the comfortable fire in his room, Theophane 
refused, exclaiming, 'The missioners you were talk- 
ing to us about last night, sir, suffered much more 
than that !'' 

He had a passion for reading, and delighted in the 
lives of children of his own age, and especially of those 
who had suffered martyrdom. All these holy disposi- 
tions were fostered by the thoughts of his first Com- 
munion, which was approaching, and for which, un- 
like the average small boy, he prepared himself with 
the utmost anxiety and care. 

"The day has almost come," he wrote his parents, 
''that day which I have so earnestly desired ! the most 
beautiful day in my whole life! Please pray to the 
Blessed Virgin for me, that I may receive her Son 
worthily, for I feel I can never prepare myself suffi- 
ciently for so solemn an occasion. I beg you, there- 
fore, to forgive me any faults I may have committed 
against you, and to give me your blessing/' 

Great as had been his previous doubts and fears, 
when the time came, his joy knew no bounds. "I 
remember him perfectly on that day,'' wrote one of 
his tutors. "He seemed not able to contain himself 
for happiness." From that hour began his great devo- 



6 A Modern Martyr 

tion to the Blessed Sacrament. He would steal away 
for a visit during recreation. ''I often used to open 
the door of the chapel softly to see if he was there/' 
wrote the same master, *'and was always edified by 
his wonderful spirit of recollection. Sometimes I 
forced him to go out to play with his companions, as 
I thought it necessary for his health; then devotion 
gave place to obedience." 

But a great sorrow was hanging over his head, for 
which he would need all the strength his Lord had 
vouchsafed to him in the Sacrament of His love. 
After two happy months spent with his family, he was 
obliged to part with his mother to return to college, 
and he foresaw that their parting would be a final 
one. Very soon after, in fact, she expired calmly in 
the arms of her husband, leaving him the care of their 
four little children. The blow to Theophane was 
terrible. Nevertheless, his first thought was how he 
could best console the mourners at home. 

"Dearest papa,'' he writes, ''when you wrote me 
that my darling mother was very weak and suflfering, 
I flattered myself that our prayers and tears would 
win from God the preservation of her life. But just 
now the headmaster has told me of the terrible mis- 
fortune which has befallen us. O my God, help me to 
say. Thy Will be done !' The hour fixed by Him has 
come and she has had to leave us, and is gone to be 
our protector in Heaven with the two little angels to 
whom she gave birth. Once more, may His Holy 
Name be blessed! It is thus He tries His creatures 
here below. Putting on the buckler of faith, we will 
have recourse to religion, which alone can comfort 
us in such sorrows. But it is very, very bitter. I have 
cried till I can cry no longer, and I have prayed with 
all my heart for her dear soul. May she at this mo- 



Theophane Venard 7 

ment be in the enjoyment of the Beatific Vision with 
His elect! May the Saviour whom she ever loved 
and whom she strove to serve, receive her into His 
kingdom !'' 

But our Lord reserved to Theophane a special con- 
solation. Many years after the event, and at the 
moment when he was about to leave his family for- 
ever, he broke silence on the subject, and said, "I 
think I may assure you positively that our good mother 
is in Heaven. I tell you this for your comfort ; but I 
have never spoken of it before, and I must beg of you 
not to repeat it to any one. At the time of her death, 
one night when I was watching in prayer, an angel 
took me by the hand and led me, as it were, into a 
great and wonderful Light, in the midst of which, sur- 
rounded by other glorified bodies, I distinctly saw her 
whom we so fondly loved, and for whom we had 
wept so bitterly." 

From the time of this great sorrow the links which 
bound brother and sister were drawn closer, and a 
correspondence began between Theophane and his 
sister, Melanie, which ceased only with death. Their 
letters remain as models of tenderness and holy inspi- 
rations, while they are most attractive in point of style 
and taste. Speaking on this subject, the Bishop of 
Poitiers says, "It is in this outpouring of heart to heart 
that we see his extreme delicacy of feeling, his loving 
thoughtfulness, his graceful imagination, and the good 
judgment which balanced all his other qualities. We 
have read these letters again and again, with ever- 
increasing pleasure, and we trust we shall be forgiven 
if we have watered some of them with our tears." 
i^ In the course of the winter of 1844, Theophane 
writes, "I must send you a few lines, my dearest sister, 
for there is not a day, nor scarcely an hour, when I 



8 A Modern Martyr 

do not think of you, who are so very dear to me. I 
know you too are thinking of me, and I suppose you 
will be saying, 'Oh, my poor old brother will be so 
cold this winter; and here am I enjoying a good big 
fire!' Be comforted. Though I have suffered from 
the cold, as you know I always do, yet I have had some 
fun out of it too, for we have had famous skating. 
And now the weather is milder, and I am thawing, 
and pouring out some of my thoughts to my second 
self." 

Soon after, his brother Henry joined Theophane at 
the College; and it was impossible not to be touched 
at the care which the elder took of the younger, so as 
to spare him the usual schoolboy troubles. In 1845, 
the Sodality of the Children of Mary was established 
in the College, and Theophane announced this event 
with joy to his sister. He was made sacristan of his 
chapel, an honor which he greatly coveted, as it not 
only gave him the care of the altar, but enabled him 
to steal away oftener for prayer. "Yesterday," he 
wrote to Melanie, "I went to say my rosary in the 
chapel; and I don't know why, but I was very sad, 
and I began to cry like a child. Yet all the time I had 
a wonderful interior consolation, and everything 
appeared to me in a supernatural light. . . . Very 
often, when I am at work, my thoughts fly back to 
you. I seem to see you going lightly about the house, 
singing softly as is your wont, and doing things for 
our father and the children and everybody. I follow 
you in thought everywhere. Although we are so far 
apart, our thoughts, our wishes, our aspirations seem to 
be one. Oh, what a blessed thing it is, this communion 
of souls, to be able to pray for each other, and to pray 
for our loved ones together! A sort of peace and 
calm comes over me with this thought. Do you know. 



Theophane Venard 9 

the other day, on the Feast of our Patron Saint, as I 
was kneehng before the Blessed Sacrament at Bene- 
diction, the Blessed Virgin seemed to smile amidst her 
flowers and tapers, and I thought of you, who, I know, 
were then at the Sodality Vespers. I prayed so hard 
for you, and I felt that you were doing the same for 
me and that our prayers were one. And then I was 
so happy, so relieved. But I should like to be with you 
again in body as well as in spirit. Oh, when shall 
we cease to be separated? When shall we be able to 
live together as we did as children and share all our 
troubles and all our joys ?" 

It seemed as if a vision of the future were before 
him — that future which was to be so great a struggle 
to flesh and blood. But we must not anticipate. 



10 A Modern Martyr 



CHAPTER II. 

At College — Doue and Montmorillon. 

On New Year's Eve, 1847, Theophane wrote to his 
father from Doue : — 

"Here we are in the midst of piercing frost and cold ; 
but if the winter numbs our limbs, at least it does not 
freeze our hearts. Whatever happens — whether my 
chilblains disappear or not — I can't let New Year's 
Day pass without scribbling a few lines to repeat once 
more to you my hearty prayers and wishes for^your 
happiness. People declare that New Year's Day is 
the day for telling lies. Let those say so who tell them. 
As for me I always welcome the return of the anniver- 
sary as an occasion for renewing the expressions of 
my old childhood's love. In one word, dearest papa, 
I wish you many, many happy New Years.'^ 

At this time Theophane was eighteen. Although he 
had given himself up to God from his youth, the 
devil filled him with doubts and temptations when it 
came to a question of deciding on his future voca- 
tion, and, as usual, his sister is the confidante of his 
troubles : — 

**My dearest Melanie, — We must talk a little of the 
Blessed Virgin, for I feel as if I had not spoken enough 
of her this year. Can it be that I have changed? I 



Theophane Venard 11 

think not; but other thoughts preoccupy me just now. 
I am nearly at the end of my classes here and yet I 
seem to have no clear conception of my future. This 
worries me very much. I always thought I was called 
to the priesthood. Sometimes I say to myself, 
'What a glorious thing it is to be a priest! What it 
must mean to say one's first Mass!' But then for 
that, one must be so good!— so pure! — like one of 
God's angels. That is why I still hesitate. Please to 
unite your prayers with mine, that I may discern God's 
will in the matter. Will you? But why do I ask? 
I know you will, and I want you to give me your 
Communion the first Sunday in Lent with this inten- 
tion, and I will prepare myself for the same." 

A little later he writes, "O my dearest sister, do 
write to me at once, for I look only to you for com- 
fort. Bring back hope to my poor sad heart ; that is 
your mission, you know. As regards me, I should like 
to laugh and be merry with you; but I have not the 
heart. I wait for your letter with the greatest 
anxiety." 

Still his heart turned towards Mary in the midst 
of his greatest distresses: ''O Mary, how I love the 
word! Mary, refuge of sorrowful hearts! Mary, 
under whose wing we have both sheltered ourselves, 
like little children with their mother at the approach 
of the enemy ! I love Mary, but I think you, my dear- 
est sister, love her more." . . . Then he comes back 
to his previous sorrow. "I get so weary of life and 
of everything, I don't know what to do. It is only 
to you that I dare own such a thing. But you, you are 
half of myself. You are more than my sister — ^you 
are my guardian angel." 

At last, by God's grace, peace came back to his 
soul, and he writes, — 



12 •A Modern Martyr 

''Dearest Melanie, — Thank you, my good little sis- 
ter, thank you a thousand times for your delicious 
letter. Oh what good it has done me! Once more I 
thank you with all my heart, that's all I can say. Here 
is the month of Mary nearly over ! It is high time we 
should talk about her a little. We too have special 
devotions every day for Mary's month, and I delight 
in decorating her altar. We have a quantity of beau- 
tiful roses in the garden here. The largest and sweet- 
est, you may be sure, I keep for our tender, good 
Mother, and it is a great pleasure to offer her fresh 
ones every morning. I fear the hands and the heart 
that bring them are miserably unworthy; but she is 
so good, she receives everybody! Well may we call 
her 'Comfort of the Afflicted' and 'Refuge of Sinners.' 

"Oh, if you did but know how my poor old head 
works when I am all alone, and can't sleep for think- 
ing! Oh, how happy I should be in a quiet country 
parish with my Melanie ! I w^ould guide the good peo- 
ple to try to save their souls, and you would have 
care of the church ; and together we would labor for 
God, and talk of Him and of His Mother, and of all 
those we have loved and lost. But one thought troubles 
me in the midst of these castles in the air. All this 
is very good and ver\^ pleasant certainly; but when it 
comes to the point, what is the Priesthood? Is it not 
an entire detachment from all worldly goods — a com- 
plete abandonment of all temporal interests ? To be a 
Priest, one should be a Saint. To guide others, one 
must first learn to guide oneself. Then should not the 
life of a good Priest be one of continual sacrifice, self- 
immolation, and mortification of all kinds? How in 
the world should I ever have the courage to embrace 
such a life, — I who am so little advanced in the paths 
of virtue, or of penance ? 



Theophane Venard 13 

'These are my thoughts, darling sister, and they 
always come back to the same thing. 

**But when I pray God to enlighten me, I seem to 
hear an interior voice ever singing, Thou must be a 
Priest; God gives His grace to all who ask Him/ 
Then a great peace seems to come over me, and I find 
myself happy and contented. You will say, 'What on 
earth am I to conclude from all this ?' Why, that the 
choice of a vocation is a terrible thing, and that who- 
ever thinks of it seriously is in a desperate difficulty. 

''But as concerns myself, I hope, in spite of my 
unworthiness, that God will have pity upon me. Our 
God is a Father, and a most tender Father; and we 
have besides a powerful Advocate in one who deigns 
to be our Mother." 

But in Melanie's own heart the struggle was going 
on likewise as to the choice of a vocation, and the 
mutual difficulties and the entire confidence which they 
had in each other bound them, if possible, still more 
closely. In Theophane's mind his sister appeared more 
and more holy, while his own love for God was un- 
consciously increasing in like proportion. 

He writes again to her, "You may be quite sure that 
I am true to my promise, and if you pray for me I 
feel often as if my life were one prayer for you. But 
though you will laugh at me for saying so, I can't help 
sometimes, when I am asking God and His saints to 
enlighten us, I can't help, I say, wishing for what you 
do not desire. I hear you say, 'But this is not right ; 
this is not really loving me.' Don't be angry, the 
thought is repented of as soon as conceived. But 
the fact is, I cannot bear the idea of a total separation. 
I am afraid this arises from selfishness on my part; 
never mind, it is only a slight shade. No, dearest Me- 



14 A Modern Martyr 

lanie ! believe this, — I will never try for an instant to 
turn you from any generous or holy project. I should 
be afraid of robbing you of your crown! But I tell 
you frankly that to lose you would be a terrible sacri- 
fice on my part. Every time the thought comes across 
my mind, I beg for the grace of God to enable me to 
bear it, if it be His will that you should go and leave 
us. I wish only for your highest happiness. You say 
that God calls you. If so, so much the better for you! 
I can only envy you your lot, and hope that some day 
I may have the like favor. Let us leave it to our dear 
Lord and Master to direct our future ; our only busi- 
ness is to strive to correspond with His grace as far 
as we possibly can.'' 

Theophane was going upwards with rapid strides, 
and not content with the Priesthood, was beginning to 
thirst after the higher glories of the Apostolate. He 
himself said later that he was, as it were, led by the 
hand, not knowing whither he was going. The fol- 
lowing memorandum, found among his copy-books, 
and dated June 17th, 1847, shows the working of his 
mind at that time : — 

"To-day in the chapel of the College at Doue, I 
made a vow to Mary, Refuge of Sinners, to say my 
rosary every day, in order to obtain a special grace 
from God!' 

In the following letter to his sister, he gives an en- 
thusiastic description of the procession on the Festival 
of Corpus Christi, and concludes with the words, "If 
religious services on earth are so glorious, what must 
they be in Heaven ? Eternity ! Have you ever thought 
of this word? Eternal, eternal! a thing which 
will never, never end! Reflecting on such subjects 
sometimes overwhelms me, although I am still 



Theophane Venard 15. 

inclined to be giddy and thoughtless. I try occa- 
sionally to find some kind of theory about it which I 
can comprehend; but when I have made my plan I 
only feel, 'Oh what a goose I am!' and then all my 
fine building crumbles away." 

Theophane had remained six years at the College of 
Doue, and he already gave promise of great ability. 
His frank, sweet-tempered nature made him a univer- 
sal favorite, while his piety, sound judgment, and high 
principle won the respect and confidence of his tutors. 
Although kind to every one, he kept his love for 
his own family and for two or three of his compan- 
ions; and on these he lavished all the wealth of his 
affectionate, loving heart. This devotion to his family 
and to one or two congenial souls far exceeded any 
ordinary love or friendship, and seemed to be permitted 
by God in order to show the full power of His grace, 
which hereafter would wean him from all human ties, 
and say to him, as to Abraham, "Go forth out of thy 
country, and from thy kindred, and out of thy father's 
house, and come into the land which I shall show 
thee." 

As to his person, although under medium height, he 
had a peculiarly pleasing and taking appearance, with 
a frank expression, a clear complexion — slightly tinged 
with red — ^bright eyes, and a very fascinating manner.* 
He was above the average in his studies, always bring- 
ing home the first prizes, and he had a great talent for 
poetry and other kinds of composition. 

At the vacation in 1847 he left school, and in the 



*The hair was dark, almost black. The writer has in his possession 
several relics, brought from St. Loup, and among them are some 
locks of hair, cut before Theophane's departure. A daguerreotype 
which formerly hung in the home of Fr. Eusebius Venard at Assai, 
gives the truest likeness. [Ed. 



16 A Modern Martyr 

month of October entered what is called ''Le Petit 
Seminaire" at Montmorillon. He was- very happy 
here, and wrote to his sister, *Trom the bottom of my 
heart, dearest Melanie, I do assure you I never was so 
happy. . . . t'Cor unum et anima una', — this is the 
motto of the congregation! Such words can come 
only from God Himself! Is not that the link which 
unites all Christians to one another? Is it not this 
feeling which creates the Missioner, the Priest, the 
Christian Brother, the Sister of Charity ? Cor unum, 
we can apply it to ourselves, for our love and our 
hopes are one. Oh, yes! Cor unum et anima una! 
We can say so now, and we shall be able to say so 
still better later, if God calls you to serve Him more 
distinctly. Go, go, my dear, good sister. I will 
never stop you, notwithstanding the sorrow I cannot 
help feeling at the idea. But think a little bit of our 
father, our dear, good father. I pray for you every 
day, that God may deign to enlighten us both and 
to show us His Holy Will." 

There was nothing gloomy or repelling in his relig- 
ion. On the contrary, he was always cheerful and 
merry, especially at Montmorillon, where his en- 
train and gaiety became proverbial, and where the 
little feasts of which he was the presiding genius will 
be remembered as long as his generation remains.* 

tOne heart and one mind. 

•Montmorillon is only a short journey from Poitiers, and in the 
early part of July, 1905, the writer spent a pleasant day and night 
at the "petit seminaire." Several new frescoes adorn the chapel, 
one describing in detail the martyrdom of Theophane Venard, the 
others being devoted to two more of the alumni who have also won 
the "martyr's crown." The members of the seminary faculty, a 
body of bright, active young diocesan priests, were most gracious 
and attentive to the American who was interested in their saintly 
pupil, and the students of English on this occasion enjoyed the 
novelty of hearing English spoken without a French accent. The 
traditions of the house have hardly changed since Theophane and 
Eusebius Venard lived there. [Ed. 



i 



Theophane Venard 17 

In spite of his gaiety and fun, however, Theophane 
had a strong groundwork of serious and deep feeling, 
which came out in his letters to his little brother, of 
which we will give some extracts here: — 

"My dear little Eusebius, — Well, how do* you like 
school? Are the lessons very hard? Very disagree- 
able? Courage ! you are just now at the bottom of the 
ladder. Very soon you will get on, and see the fruit 
of your work. Have you found any fellows that you 
like? Have you jolly games together? Tell me all. I 
so often think of my poor little brother and wish I 
could be with him, especially in these first weeks of 
his school life. ... It is half-past six in the evening. 
The wind blows through the chinks of the door ; isn't 
it bitter ? But I feel so for you, my poor little man. I 
am sure your poor little toes and paws are all over 
chilblains, as mine used to be ; and the tip of your nose 
IS all frozen, isn't it? Ah ! but that's the true life of a 
schoolboy! We go to learn to bear; but let us leave 
the winter behind, and wish one another a very, very 
happy New Year, and Paradise by and by, though I 
hope not just yet, as I don't feel disposed to give up 
my little brother so soon. I recollect how in old times 
you used to long for New Year's Day, but then that 
was all for the presents and sugar-plums. Now, alas ! 
there are no presents and no goodies — only lessons. 
Oh, dear! But by and by you will be glad to have 
learned something, so as to be more fit to fulfil the du- 
ties God will appoint for you in life, and thus win 
Heaven. For that, dear Eusebius, and that alone, must 
be the object of all our actions. Work hard, work well, 
not to get praise, or honor, or prizes, but because you 
will thus please God. Take this as the maxim of your 
life: 'All for our good God.' Don't neglect your 
2 



18 A Modern Martyr 

prayers. Be docile to your superiors, for they are set 
over you by God ; be loving and kind to your compan- 
ions, and then everybody will love you, and you will 
be really happy." 

Then came his little brother's first Communion, and 
Theophane writes, — 

''My dear little brother has just made a great step 
in life, and a step towards another world. For one 
little moment you paused and pitched your tent, and 
looked back to all your childish faults, faults which 
the world counts little, but which a Christian judges 
differently; and kneeling at the feet of God's priest, 
you told him all these little failings and short- 
comings, and he lifted the burden from your shoulders 
with the words of absolution in the name of the Thrice 
Holy God. You have now become once more innocent 
as a little child, and the friend of the angels ; and you 
have received Him whom the heaven of heavens can- 
not contain. Oh, the inexpressible happiness of the 
child's first Communion! Who can describe that 
mystery of love? Only angels know that language. 
May you understand it, too, my dear little angel on 
earth!"* 

Theophane was now eighteen. His year of Philos- 
ophy was over, and he was about to be transferred 
from the "Petit" to the ''Grand Seminaire," but first 
he was allowed to go home, and his joy found vent in 
the following words: — 

"In a month more I shall see the sky of my native 



*Eusebius Venard was, until his death, February 24, 1913, pastor of 
Assai, a small town about five miles from the railway station at 
Airvault, and less than four miles from the paternal home of St. 
Loup. [Ed. 



Theophane Venard 19 

valley. How happy the thought makes me! My 
friends at the 'Grand Seminaire' begin their vacation 
a month sooner, which makes me rather envious. 
Well, the time will soon slip by. My schoolboy life is at 
an end ; it has not been without its trials, but it has had 
its sweets too. For the moment I feel as if I wanted 
the fresh air of my own dear home to strengthen 
me, body and soul. Till now I have not lived, so to 
speak. I am going to begin. Every living thing seems 
to me to follow its vocation. The river flows to the 
sea, and the plant germinates, and the animal f e^ds and 
grows, and man lives and draws daily nearer to God. 
But each man walks after his own fashion. The busi- 
ness of one is to cultivate the soil ; another, the intel- 
lect. Handicrafts supply the material wants of man- 
kind; politics, the social. One and all gravitate to- 
wards their end, which is death, although each follows 
a different path. In one sense man has a free will, 
but he can scarcely be said to choose his career; it 
is almost always marked out for him. If he wanders 
from it, nothing but confusion is the result. Well, I 
am longing to work and to find my place in the world, 
to spend and be spent for my brethren. Whatever 
course be proposed to me, I always come back to that 
— ^to be a Priest. No other career has the least at- 
traction for me. Yes, one day I shall be the soldier of 
Jesus Christ, and fight under the banner of the Church, 
and the day will soon dawn for the fulfilment of that 
wish. That is why I feel so happy at the thought of 
going home soon. A week or two among my own 
people, and then to my cell and to my vocation for- 
evermore." 



20 A Modern Martyr 



CHAPTER III. 
The Seminarian at Poitiers. 

Theophane Venard entered the ''Grand Semi- 
nary," as we have seen, with the firm determination to 
become a Priest. He understood at once how im- 
portant the training there given would be to him ; and 
the shortness of the time allowed made him grasp at 
every opportunity to improve himself, especially as re- 
garded his sanctification. With a clear and subtle in- 
tellect, and abilities very much above the common, he 
at once distinguished himself among his companions; 
but none of these qualities made him lose sight of the 
great virtue of humility, which he cultivated assidu- 
ously, so as always to try to escape notice by burying 
himself among the rest. He also made charity act as 
the handmaid of humility ; and therefore not only re- 
frained from any unkind act or word, but denied him- 
self many of those little sharp and amusing "repartees" 
which his wit and sense of fun made often very tempt- 
ing to him. He preferred to pass for one who was dull 
and could not enter into a joke, than to w^ound in the 
smallest degree the feelings of another. "I think that 
this was not the least remarkable of his virtues," 
wrote one of his college friends. 

His regularity in his work attracted the attention of 
all his masters ; and he even began to have a sort of 
scruple as to the length of his letters to his family. 
His cell was his delight, and he realized the promises 



Theophane Venard 31 

in the 'Imitation'' to those who jealously guard their 
little sanctuary. 

''Everything speaks to me in my cell/' he writes to 
his sister. "I love it as a mother loves her child. Every- 
thing about it encourages me to charity and devotion. 
I come in ; to the right is my holy water stoup, and it 
seems to say to me, 'Your cell is your sanctuary ; noth- 
ing impure must enter it/ and so I leave my worldli- 
ness at the door, and purify myself with holy water. 
I walk towards the window and look out on the sky, 
and I say to myself, 'Up there a place is reserved for 
you ; work and struggle hard to win it.' Then I beg 
of our Lord to bless my labor, and lest any strange 
thought should disturb my mind, there hangs my Cru- 
cifix, preaching forever by the Divine example. Then 
above my book-case, the Cross stretches out its arms 
and covers me with its shadow ; and soon I shall have 
also the picture of Mary Immaculate watching over 
her Child. You fancy that I may have some troubles 
in my present life, dear Melanie ? No ; I do assure you 
this place is to me a paradise upon earth. Everyone 
is happy here, even those who, like me, are far from 
being saints!" 

At the same time he was ever mindful of his home 
ties, and seized every little opportunity for opening 
his heart to his family. "How good you are to me !'' 
he wrote one day, "and how I love you for your ten- 
der thought of me ! I said, 'I want some sleeves,' and 
in a trice here they are ! T should like a curtain for 
my window,' and there it hangs, keeping out all curi- 
ous eyes. I desired some money, and behold, here it is, 
without my asking! as well as half a dozen minor 
things which make my little establishment complete. 
Only one thing is lacking and that is time! A little 



22 A Modem Martyr 

quarter of an hour to say, Thank you!' and again 
Thank you !' '' 

On one occasion he describes to his family the de- 
parture of one of the seminarians for the foreign 
missions, and his secret wish for the first time breaks 
forth: ''Several vocations of the like nature have de- 
clared themselves," he exclaims. ''It is quite glorious ! 
We are in a state of excitement and enthusiasm about 
it not to be described/' These v^ords awoke some 
fears at home, especially in the heart of the sister who 
knew him best; and he writes in reply, "So my news 
troubled you, dear little sister, did it? But is there 
anything so very extraordinary in the fact that one 
among us is going to devote himself to the salvation of 
the heathen? Why, one talks of going to be a Jesuit; 
another, to La Trappe ; another to China ; and so on ! 
Oh, if you think there are no events and no gossip in 
the Seminary, you are very much mistaken. But you 
have created a whole world of hope and fears out of 
that one little sentence of mine! I can scarcely help 
laughing. Another time don't let your imagination run 
wild, but sleep in peace.'' 

In this humble and hidden life, like that of his Mas- 
ter at Nazareth, nothing is so striking as the way he 
passed from the natural to the supernatural. Every- 
thing spoke to him of God. One day after telling his 
brother how at Easter he had changed his room, and 
altered the arrangement of his things, he adds, "It is 
quite an event for me, this change; and now I am 
going to work away with fresh courage, for one 
thought pursues me, and seems to me to be at the 
bottom of all my college life. 

"Why have I come here? Ad quid venistif Why 
come to a theological seminary? It is to go through 
a certain course of instruction, you will say. Well, 



Theophane Venard 23 

but that course comes to an end; and thenf . . . Oh, 
when that thought comes to me, I can simply bow my 
head, and beg God to answer me. I will do as He 
shall appoint." 

The ceremonies and anniversaries of the Church as 
celebrated in the Seminary impressed him strongly, 
and were the constant subjects of his letters. On 
Good Friday he was especially moved, and wrote as 
follows : — 

"Oh, this is indeed a sad and exceptional day at the 
Seminary! ... To see us all mournfully wandering 
here and there in the cloisters, without a sound being 
heard, not a voice, not even a whisper, one would 
imagine we were sheep without a shepherd. And it is 
quite true; the Pastor of pastors is dead; the Pastor 
has given His life for His sheep." 

These thoughts, which seemed to come naturally to 
the young theological student, were often poured out 
to his brother and sister. With his younger brother, 
especially, it seemed to him the best and most delicate 
way of making him take an interest in serious things 
without disgusting him by lectures, or appearing to be 
always "preaching" to him. "I like to think of you 
on these occasions," he wrote one day, "and I fancy I 
see you, so recollected in prayer, so studious in class, 
so merry and gay at recreation, and making us all so 
glad and happy ! for to be good is to be happy ; and we 
cannot be thoroughly happy unless you are the same." 

In the faithful practice of all these relative duties, 
Theophane made the best preparation for the priest- 
hood. The Christmas ordination, at which he had only 
assisted as a spectator, had touched him to the quick. 
When that of Trinity came around, he was told to 



24 A Modern Martyr 

prepare himself for the first step by receiving the 
tonsure. 

"My dearest Sister/' he writes, "to-morrow I am to 
be tonsured; that is, I shall no longer belong to the 
world, but to our Lord. I shall say to Him, 'My God, 
Thou art the portion of my heritage, and of my lot. 
Thou wilt give me a place in Thy Heavenly King- 
dom.' I shall say to the Blessed Virgin, 'Regina cleri, 
or a pro nobis !''f Oh how proud I shall be to wear on 
my head the crown of the saints ! that crown to obtam 
which it would not be too much to devote one's whole 
life!" 

But his happiness was to be delayed some time, 
owing to the death of the beloved bishop of the 
diocese. In so public a calamity his generous soul 
could not think for a moment of a personal disappoint- 
ment which had been swallowed up in the general 
mourning. Just before the long vacation his father's 
feast day occurred; and in spite of the press of 
work before the examinations, he found time to write 
a few loving words: "My dearest Father, — I try to 
fancy myself with you on Saturday evening, and em- 
brace you with all my heart, while offering you the 
flower which most expresses my humble but devoted 
love. O Thou who art the Master of life and death, 
preserve to us our darling father; watch over him, 
and keep him in all his ways now and ever." 

The first year of his seminary life was over, and it 
had been fruitful in gifts and graces. But always 
afraid of himself, and fearful lest he should relax dur- 
ing the long vacation, he wrote out a series of resolu- 
tions, which we will give verbatim : — 

t Queen of the Clergy, pray for us. 



Theophane Venard 25 

July 1, 1849. 
A. M. D. G. 

Some Resolutions for the Holidays. 

One year of my seminary life is already past, and I 
must give an account of this time of retreat and sancti- 
fication. Alas ! where are the graces which I have ac- 
quired? My God, Thou hast searched me out, and 
known me. Even the angels are not pure in Thy 
sight; and what am I? . . . O my divine Redeemer, 
have mercy upon me. Deign to accept my penitence, 
and to bless the resolutions which, with the help of 
Thy grace, I hope to make for the future. Virgin 
Mother ! thou whom from my childhood I have chosen, 
pray for me, for thou art my refuge and my strength. 
"Refugium peccatorum, or a pro nobis T^ 

1. I will get up the moment I wake, offering my 
heart to Jesus and Mary. I will never sleep later 
than six. If I serve the six o'clock Mass, I will say 
my prayers and the ^'little hours" afterwards; if the 
eight o'clock, then I will say them all before, together 
with my meditation and the study of a certain portion 
of Holy Scripture. The rest of the Office I will say 
in the evening at separate times. 

2. I will make a particular examen every day be- 
fore luncheon at two o'clock. This examination is 
to consist of a few minutes' meditation on faith, 
charity, modesty, interior recollection, etc., etc., with 
a special consideration of the way in which I have 
practised each. At the end of the month I will make 
a general examination, to prevent my relapsing into 
laxity or indifference. 

3. In the course of the afternoon or evening I will 

t Refuge of Sinners, pray for us. 



26 A Modern Martyr 

visit the Blessed Sacrament, making use of St. 
Alphonsus Liguori's Exercises on the subject. I will 
also take for my meditation book the ''Memoriale 
Vitae Sacerdotalis'' (by Claude Arvisenet), besides 
the "Imitation'' and the Holy Scriptures, both of 
which I always carry with me. 

4. Directly after breakfast I will spend an hour or 
so in working either at my holiday task or at the Holy 
Scriptures. In the evening, after Vespers and Comr 
pline, I will study again a little bit, but on less serious 
subjects. I could do this while walking, or when I 
am waiting at the Cure's. 

5. In my intercourse with the outside world, I will 
try to be most careful in speech. I will be gentle and 
kind toward everyone, and especially towards my 
own family. Should the occasion present itself, I will 
never neglect to say a little word of our good God, 
especially to children. But I will do this with great 
caution, remembering that deeds are worth more than 
words. 

6. On feast days I will work between Mass and 
Vespers if I have time. On those days I will try to 
keep up a greater spirit of recollection. 

7. Of these resolutions, there are a few which I 
must strictly put into practice ; such are those in regard 
to prayer, the particular examen, the visit to the 
Blessed Sacrament, and the spiritual reading of the 
"Imitation" or the "Memoriale." 

As to the other points I may be less severe, espe- 
cially if my friends or companions insist upon my ac- 
companying them on a walk or on a party of pleasure. 
In fact, I must be careful to do nothing singular or 
out of the way, so as to excite observation ; all affecta- 
tion, therefore, is tabooed. True merit is hidden and 
simple, and dreads nothing more than publicity. If 



Theophane Venard 27 

I can only keep always humble, charitable, and mod- 
est, I may escape some of the dangers of my long va- 
cation. I am sure good examples will not be wanting 
to me ; and then, have I not the grace of God ? ''Domi- 
nus custodiat te. Dominus protectio tua. Omnia pos- 
sum in eo qui me confortatJ''\ 

T. Venard. 

In this little rule of life no mention is made of the 
frequentation of the Sacraments or other devotions; 
but as he followed strictly the rule of the Seminary 
in all these points, it was not necessary to speak of 
them. No mention is made either of the rosary. It 
was said every evening in his family circle, and Theo- 
phane presided at it during his holidays as a matter of 
course. Some readers may be surprised at the sim- 
plicity of this rule and its few austerities. This arose 
from his determination to keep it strictly, so that 
it should not be a dead letter. Moreover, he thought 
it right for the sake of those around him to share in 
their simple pleasures, and in the expeditions and pic- 
nics which took place during his visit. His greatest 
delight was to be with his sister, and to talk with her 
of holy things and of their future vocations ; and daily 
was the soul of each strengthened by their mutual in- 
tercourse. 

Two months after his return to the Seminary (on 
the 8th of December), Mgr. Pie, the new Bishop of 
Poitiers, made his solemn entry into his episcopal 
town. The sight of this young and saintlike Bishop 
had a great effect on Theophane, all the more so as 
it ensured the Christmas ordination, when he was to 
receive the tonsure. From that moment he consid- 
ered himself as set apart for the priesthood, and re- 

tMay the. Lord keep thee. The Lord is thy protector. I can do all 
things in Him who strengthcneth me. 



28 A Modern Martyr 

doubled his zeal and fervor. At the Trinity ordina- 
tion, in 1850, he received minor orders, and wrote to 
his father, "Oh what a grand day is that of one's ordi- 
nation ! How I wish you had been here to share in 
my joy! But you will come, will you not, when the 
great and final step is taken ? You will add your bless- 
ing to the rest? Oh, it seems as if I could hardly wait 
patiently for the dawning of such a great day !'' 

The vacation came round again, and Theophane 
took the opportunity to open his heart more entirely to 
his sister, both for his own consolation and because he 
knew that her faith would triumph over all human 
considerations, and help him to overcome the shrink- 
ings of his loving heart as he thought over a separation 
which would probably be final. He spent almost the 
whole time at home, and employed part of it in help- 
ing his brother to make a little grass terrace at the foot 
of the garden,* where, he fancied, after his departure 
they would be able to sit and think of the absent 
one whom they had freely given for God's work. On 
his return to the Seminary he seems to have redoubled 
his efforts to profit by this last year of study and 
preparation for his future career. But he did not neg- 
lect others in thinking of himself, and his letters to 
his little brother and to his sister are more frequent 
than ever. To the former he writes on the beauty of 
piety in the young, adding, however, "Now don't im- 
agine it necessary to put on a sour face, or to look 
sanctimonious. True devotion is natural, gay, and 



*The Venard home at St. Loup was in possession of the family until 
the death of Fr. Eusebius in 1913. According- to the custom of 
the country, a high stone-wall encloses the long, narrow garden in 
the rear, where Fr. Eusebius pointed out to the writer, on one of 
his visits, vegetable beds, rose-trees and lilies, — the many fruits of 
Theophane's vacation labors. [Ed. 



Theophane Venard 39 

bright, according to the words of St. Paul, 'Gaudete 
in Domino semper; iterum dico, gaudete/ 'f 

To his sister he writes more as to an equal. 

"I rejoice, my darling Melanie, to see you growing 
every day in fervor and the love of God. I am sure 
we shall both try not to forget that humility is the 
base of all perfection, and that obedience is its 
guardian. Read Rodriguez's article on Humility in 
his work on Christian Perfection. But do not let this 
book give you any scruples, as it is addressed to nuns, 
and one must not confound absolute precepts with 
practices which vary according to the position and 
duties of each person. ... I quite understand what 
you say in your letters about the sacrifice hanging over 
our heads. Courage! God asks of us only our good 
will ; His grace does the rest. What I am most afraid 
of, is lest you should be discouraged. The Christian 
motto is Hope! Hope on! hope ever! Be very gen- 
erous to our good God. Try to leave all things to 
Him, without trouble or preoccupation. *In quietness 
and confidence shall be your strength.' If you feel you 
have been wanting in such sentiments, make a little act 
of contrition, and then rise again quickly with renewed 
courage. In this way we shall really feel as children 
of God in the holy liberty wherewith Christ has made 
us free. To be truly humble ; to fly from this world's 
notice; to hold ourselves continually as in the pres- 
ence of God; to be little in our own eyes, — these are 
the dispositions which are most pleasing to Him, and 
which are easier for you to practise than for many 
others, on account of your quiet, hidden life, very 
like that of the Holy Family of Nazareth. ... A great 

t Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. 



30 A Modern Martyr 

step must soon be taken — ^the sub-diaconate — a step for 
life and for eternity! Oh, pray for me, that I may 
in all things follow God's will, and that I may fully 
know what He requires of me. Say the 'Memorare' 
frequently for me with this intention. You know 
how I thank and love you beforehand for all that you 
do for me in that and a thousand other ways." 

To his father he writes, in view of his approaching 
vows: 

*'I am now at an age when my future career must 
be decided upon, and perhaps there may be a ques- 
tion of my marriage. All this might have been a sub- 
ject of great anxiety and trouble to you. But, my 
dearest father, I have chosen my own path. Do not 
seek an earthly partner for me. Our Lord has called 
me, utterly unworthy as I am. He has asked for my 
whole heart, for my body, soul, and spirit, and can I 
refuse Him what is His ? And then I turn in thought 
to you, from whom, next to God, I have received all — 
to you, my darling father, and I ask, do not you wish 
the same thing for me? Are you not willing to give 
me up to God? To give me up without reserve; to 
make a complete sacrifice of your child? Oh, I am 
sure you will say yes! For if you have a father's 
heart, you have equally the heart of a fervent, loving 
Catholic. . . . But I would add one word more. Is 
it not the father who takes the bride to the house of 
God, who gives her to her spouse ? Do not her friends 
and relatives accompany her ? Oh, I am sure you will 
do the same by me! You will come to this my mar- 
riage, the mysterious union which joins a human soul 
to its Creator. You will come to offer to God the 
child He has given you. You will come and bless me 
not only in your own name, but in that of her who I 



Theophane Venard 31 

feel sure is now helping us with her prayers before 
the Throne of God. You will bless me for my mother." 

We add to this touching letter the few words he 
addressed to his godmother on the same occasion: — 
"I hasten to tell you a piece of news. Perhaps my 
dear godmother has forgotten that the little child she 
carried to the Baptismal Font is now twenty-one, the 
age required by the Church for the office of sub-dea- 
con. Well, I have made up my mind, or rather it is 
not I that have settled it, but God who has chosen 
one so miserable and unworthy as I to serve at His 
altar. And can I say 'No' ? I can only adore the mercy 
of God, and nature must submit. So, on the 31st of 
this month I am to be ordained sub-deacon. My 
father, I trust, will come to the sacrifice of his son; 
but I have no mother left on earth. Dare I ask my 
godmother — ^my mother in the order of grace — to 
take her place?'' 

The day of immolation came, and the sacrifice was 
consummated. Then the young sub-deacon sought 
his Director with the words, ''Now I am ready — you 
will no longer oppose my wish? you will let me go?" 
And the good and prudent Director assented, and at 
once wrote to Paris to obtain his admittance to the 
Foreign Mission Seminary. His much-loved sister 
and little brother were unable to be present at his 
ordination; but to console them he wrote the follow- 
ing words: — 

"Dearest Melanie, — Your brother is at last a sub- 
deacon ! My soul overflows with joy, but with a joy so 
sweet and so pure that I cannot express it. I should 
like to be able to tell you all I feel, but I cannot put it 



32 A Modern Martyr 

into words. I took the terrible step without trembling. 
God, in His infinite goodness, spared me the agony of 
fear at the moment. My knees did not knock against 
each other, nor did my foot fail me. When I was 
stretched on the pavement I was filled only with a sol- 
emn calm ; but when I got up I felt as if I had broken 
every link, as if I were for the first time free — free 
like a little bird who has escaped from the snare of the 
fowler. Oh, how willingly would I then have flown 
up to heaven!" 

To his brother he writes more gaily: — 

*'My dear little Eusebius, — Henry IV. said, 
*Hang thyself, brave Crillon ! we have won a victory, 
and thou wert not there !' I shall say, too, *You were 
not there when your poor old brother, prostrate on 
the pavement, gave himself irrevocably to God !' But 
I know well that it was not your fault. Therefore 
please do not hang yourself ! but help me to thank our 
dear Lord for the great grace He has bestowed upon 
me, and for the happiness with which I am filled. 
Gratias Deo super inenarrabili dono ejusl'f Oh, it 
was a great day, and a day that has no ending — quae 
nescit occasum diet! Its dawn will be brighter and 
brighter until we come to eternity. And now, my 
dearest little brother, I feel as if I had acquired a right 
to say to you, *Do not love the world or its pleasures.' 
They are seemingly attractive and beautiful; but 
within all is corruption, vileness, emptiness, and re- 
morse. O my brother, let us love God, our dear, good 
God, and be as sheep under His hand ! Love Him, and 
you will have no cause for repentance even on this 

tThanks be to God for his unspeakable gift! 



Theophane Venard 33 

earth. He, too, promises us joys and pleasures, but 
they are joys certain, inexpressible, eternal, — pax Dei 
quae exsuperat omnem sensumT^ 

The answer soon came from Paris, and it was 
favorable. Then the young student began to make 
his preparations to leave the Poitiers Seminary, bid 
adieu to his family, and start joyfully for that house 
which for more than two centuries has trained Apos- 
tles for Eastern Asia. 

fThe peace of God which surpasseth all understanding. 



34 A Modern Martyr 



CHAPTER IV. 
Breaking Home Ties. 

Theophane's departure for the Paris Seminary 
was definitely settled, and it became necessary to break 
the news to his family, and especially to his father, 
who, proud of his son, had already made endless 
plans for his future advancement. Theophane 
knew this; and although he thoroughly appreciated 
his father's courage and generosity, he yet shrunk, as 
his favorite child, from inflicting a blow which, he 
well knew, would annihilate all his father's hopes. 
Nevertheless, he could not bear that a strange hand 
should give the tidings, and so he summoned courage 
to pen the following letter, which we give in its en- 
tirety. 

''February 7, 1851. 

"My dearest Father, — It is a little more than a 
month ago that, to my great joy, you came to witness 
my consecration to the service of God. You yourself, 
as it were, presented the victim at the altar. A poor 
and miserable offering indeed ! yet such as it was our 
Lord in His infinite mercy accepted it. And since 
that moment how the time has flown ! God guides the 
hearts of men, and they follow as He leads. God, as it 
were, took me by the hand, and spoke to me with an 
irresistible voice. 'My son !' He said, *come, follow Me, 
fear nothing; you are little, and poor, and weak, and 
miserable, but I am the Almighty God. Come, I will 



Theophane Venard 35 

be with thee !' And I, can I have a will in presence of 
the will of God? 

"My dearly-loved father, have you understood me? 
One day God said to Abraham, ^Take thy only-begot- 
ten son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go into the land 
of Vision ; and there thou shalt offer him for a holo- 
caust upon one of the mountains which I shall show 
thee/ And Abraham obeyed without a moment's hesi- 
tation, and without a murmur ; and his obedience was 
most pleasing to God. Now, my dearest father, do 
you begin to understand me? Here am I, the child 
whom you love ; I have not borrowed a strange pen to 
tell you the truth. I come openly, without any subter- 
fuges unworthy of us both. God calls me; yes, it is 
His call. Oh, call me likewise ; say that you, too, are 
willing that your Theophane should become a mis- 
sioner ! 

'Toor father! the word is said, — ^the Foreign Mis- 
sions. Do not let your human nature shrink from the 
thought. Rather kneel and take your crucifix, that 
crucifix which received my mother's last breath, and 
say, 'My God, I consent, may Thy holy will be done. 
Amen.' 

'*0 my father, forgive me for having struck the 
blow myself! Some people will tell you I am mad, 
ungrateful, a bad son, and I know not what besides. 
My darling father, you will not think so ! I know you 
have a great and generous soul, and one that has drunk 
deeply at the only true source of real strength and 
greatness — ^that of Religion and Faith. I have sad- 
dened your heart; my own is sorrowful and heavy 
too. The sacrifice asked of us is hard — most hard! 
But, O Lord Jesus! since Thou dost will it, I will it 
likewise, and so willeth my father. 

"Courage, then, my dearest father — courage, and 



36 A Modern Martyr 

resignation and confidence in God and in His Holy 
Mother. Let us pray for each other. Father, I kneel 
at your feet. Bless your child, and believe in his re- 
spectful devotion and dutiful submission. 

Theophane Venard, Sub-deacon." 

As he knew beforehand, this letter came upon his 
father as a thunder-clap ; nevertheless the blow did not 
leave a sting behind, for M. Venard was a large- 
hearted and generous Catholic. His answer, which we 
subjoin, was one of consent, and a consent so heartily 
given that it rivalled the sublime virtue of his son. 
One day, when a friend was trying to console M. 
Venard by assuring him that his son's vocation had 
been abundantly weighed and proved by his superiors 
before they gave their assent, he exclaimed, "And 
what would become of the prophecy of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who declared that His Gospel should be 
preached throughout the whole earth, if directors of 
colleges and heads of families were to check the as- 
pirations of all the young students who wish to em- 
bark for the foreign missions?'' 

Such was the frank, loyal, generous nature of the 
father of the future missioner, and his character is 
well shown in the following letter: — 

''St. Loup, February 12, 1851. 
''My dearest, well-beloved Son, — I will not at- 
tempt to describe the emotion your letter caused me. 
I fancy you had calculated beforehand the force of 
the blow. You may well say that the sacrifice is hard. 
Your ordination cost me nothing. On the contrary, it 
fulfilled my fondest wishes for you, and I was quite 
content. But now everything is changed. AH my 
plans are upset. Well may people say, 'Man proposes, 



L... 




^C 



k 




> 



Cu o 

O H 

-J >^ 

. O 

CO ^ 



CQ 



H 



Theophane Venard 37 

and God disposes/ I had flattered myself that you 
would some day have a parish near me, that I should 
be able to make over everything to Henry, and then 
come and finish my days quietly under your roof, so 
that you should close my eyes. Happy, but, alas! 
hopeless illusions. 

"My child, I cannot attempt to try to turn you 
from your great and holy resolutions. Neither v^ill I 
sadden your heart by reproaches. I will content my- 
self with asking if, at your age, you think you can 
really arrive at so serious a decision, and not regret it 
hereafter. But if you are resolved, if you feel that 
God has indeed called you, then I would say, 'Obey 
Him without hesitation.' Let nothing keep you back, 
not even the thought of the poor old father whom 
you leave in his sorrowful desolation, nor of the pa- 
ternal roof which will no longer shelter you. Enough ; 
I know that he who puts his hand to the plough must 
not look behind him ; I know also that he who leaves 
father and mother to follow his Lord will receive an 
eternal recompense, and such reasons are unanswer- 
able. ... I could not reply to your letter at once, my 
dearest son, for poor human nature would have its way 
at first. But to-day I am a little calmer, and I hasten 
to fulfil your wishes. You ask for my consent. I give 
it to you without restriction. My blessing — O my dear- 
est boy, why should I refuse it to you ? You know that 
I belong only to my children, and that you may always 
reckon on me. All that gives you pleasure gives it 
to me likewise, cost what it will. My sacrifices began 
when you first went to school and I was separated 
from you ; they went on increasing year by year, and 
now God knows where they are to end ! Well, I can 
only resign myself and leave all in the hands of Him 



38 A Modern Martyr 

who, perhaps, will give me back my Isaac, as you have 
compared me to the Father of the Faithful. 

''Do not let my letter sadden you too much. I can- 
not put my ideas down as I wish, but you will guess 
my thoughts. Let us hope that God will sustain us 
both in this great trial. Although your sister knew of 
your intention beforehand, she was terribly affected 
by your declaration, for she flattered herself the day 
was still far off. But, as you say, the time is short. 
. . . Henry saw at once that there was something the 
matter but I have told him nothing as yet. And poor 
little Eusebius, whom you were to mould and form, 
is he to lose his model and his guide? Forgive my 
saying this — forgive your poor old father, who lives 
but in his children. I feel I have gone too far, and 
that I shall give you pain, and you don't deserve it 

"Bear in mind, then, that I freely give my consent 
to your plans. Be at peace, and do not trouble about 
me. The hand of God is everywhere. I love you 
with all my heart and embrace you tenderly. 

Venard.'* 

So the future missioner could go to the Foreign 
Mission Seminary without fear, and instead of the 
anger of his father, he was to meet with nothing but 
love and blessings. Theophane's feelings foimd vent 
in the following letter to his sister : — 

"My darling Sister, — Oh, how I cried when I read 
your letter ! Yes, I knew well the sorrow I was going 
to bring upon my family, and especially upon you, my 
dear little sister. But don't you think it cost me tears 
of blood, too, to take such a step, and give you all such 
pain? Who ever cared more for home and a home life 
than I? All my happiness here below was centred in 



Theophane Venard 39 

it. But God, who has united us all in links of the 
tenderest affection, wished to wean me from it. Oh, 
what a fight and a struggle I have had with my poor 
human nature! But then our Lord, who asked the 
sacrifice at my hands, gave me the strength to accom- 
plish it. He did more. He gave me the courage to 
offer myself the bitter chalice to those I loved. I un- 
dertook it because I knew you all so well, and I was 
full of faith and hope ; and that hope has not been dis- 
appointed. And now I can only adore His mercy, and 
praise Him who has led me so tenderly through this 
terrible trial. 

*'Can it be, then, that family ties and family joys 
are not holy and blessed? Has God forbidden them? 
Or were our hearts too absorbed in them, so that God, 
to punish us, wished to withdraw them altogether ? Or 
have we all gone crazy ? No ! no ! a thousand times no ! 
Let the world say what it will. What matters it to us, 
children of grace, who have received the heavenly 
promises? The world and its maxims have long ago 
had their condemnation from the mouth of our Divine 
Lord Himself. Ah ! Lord God, Thy thoughts are not 
as our thoughts, and Thou walkest by paths of which 
the world knows nothing. 

"See, my dearest sister, how He has led us until 
now. We had a good and darling mother, and she 
was taken from us just as we were entering upon 
life. How we have cried for her ! But God took pity 
on her children. He has given you strength and wis- 
dom to take her place in the family. Then another 
sacrifice was asked of us. You, my good little sister, 
had long given yourself to God. You wanted to do 
so altogether, but Providence contented itself with 
your will and your submission, and did not exact the 
consummation of the sacrifice. But God was watch- 



40 A Modern Martyr 

ing over your poor brother. He was conducting him 
as by the hand in a path traced out by Himself. Oh, 
miracle of grace ! Oh, the depth and the riches of the 
goodness and mercy of God! He who needs not hu- 
man instruments to accomplish His great designs, 
chooses the vilest, the most miserable of His creatures 
to do His work. I, wretched little I, receive the mis- 
sion and the inspiration of the Apostolate. . , . Dear- 
est sister, say with me that our God is good — infinitely 
good. Let all the earth echo the words and repeat 
them in a transport of gratitude and joy. See how our 
Lord loves us. See how He showers His gifts upon 
us. One more sacrifice is asked of us; but does not 
our Lord prove those He loves so as to make them 
more worthy of Himself? Must we not all pass 
through the crucible? A cross is given to us. Let us 
embrace it generously, and thank Him. Our tears 
must flow. Well, let us offer them up to Him who has 
called them forth. This earth is after all but a valley 
of tears ; and the Divine Master has said, 'Blessed are 
those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.' And 
then, even if we do part here for a little time, it is only 
our bodies that are separated. Our souls are united 
more closely than ever in thoughts which know no 
space or distance. We shall meet one another in 
heaven. Yes, all of us shall be together then. Let us 
trust in God, and make the sacrifice generously. And 
then you have Henry ; and God will watch over poor 
little Eusebius. Let us pray and trust and hope, and 
remain united to each other in the hearts of Jesus and 
Mary. . . And now I must add a line to my dear 
father. You don't know how proud I am to be his son ! 
I long to feel myself in his arms, pressed to his heart. 
. . . My father, with your great courage, firm faith, 
burning love — all for God — even your Theophane! 



Theophane Venard 41 

Dearest father, these souls that I am going to strive 
to win for our Lord, I oflfer them all to you, next to 
God. They will be your crown and your glory in the 
Home of the Elect. 

'1 am going away, but I leave you an angel of con- 
solation — a loving guardian angel — in Melanie. When 
the time of your pilgrimage is over, Melanie will close 
your eyes, will pray by your bedside, and will speak 
to you of your poor little missioner; and you will 
bless her and him too. But why do I speak of death ? 
Oh, please God, you will live many, many years yet to 
be the joy and the providence of your children ! The 
little missioner will get letters from you from time 
to time, and news of all the family, and that will be 
a great joy to him. I hope also to spend a good long 
fortnight with my dear ones at home and enjoy them 
thoroughly before I start." 

The ''little missioner" accordingly went home on 
Saturday, the 15th of February. He arranged to walk 
from Parthenay, so as to meet his brother Henry and 
have a talk with him before they saw their father. The 
only idea of something extraordinary about to happen 
was from a little note which Theophane had written to 
both his brothers in these words: *T implore you to 
say the 'Memorare' for me every day till we meet, that 
I may obtain a great grace. You will soon know why." 
But the poor children were far from guessing the 
truth. 

Henry, being then eighteen, at once understood the 
gravity and importance of the step which his brother 
was about to take. As for poor little Eusebius, his 
uncertainty came to an end the next day when Theo- 
phane called to carry him off for a fortnight from his 
studies. He had set his heart on having the whole 



42 A Modern Martyr 

family together on this occasion, so as to enjoy for the 
last time the happiness which such a home circle alone 
can give. 

It is easy to understand how trying these last few 
days were to them all; but to Theophane they were 
the hardest. He had to be tender, affectionate, and 
loving to every one, and yet firm and determined in 
his resolution to leave them. At times he could 
scarcely contain himself, and he had to do incessant 
violence to his own heart to maintain any kind of 
decent calm. But he acquitted himself marvellously. 

We cannot attempt to describe his first meeting with 
his father. They embraced each other closely in si- 
lence, without tears or sighs. Only after a time the 
words, "My dearest boy!'' "My good father!" burst 
from the lips of each. These few words said all to 
those who could feel and understand what was passing 
in two such loving hearts. 

These touching scenes were renewed very often in 
the course of the trying fortnight, especially towards 
evening, near the fireside after dinner, when there 
would often be a dead silence, the father contenting 
himself with pressing his son's hand and not daring 
to trust himself to speak. The future missioner 
would try to cheer them all by droll stories, or interest 
them in the countries he was so soon to visit. At last 
he excited them so much on the subject of China and 
the missions, that nothing would content Melanie and 
her brothers but the thought of going too. They 
made a thousand little plans, in which each was to 
share in his labors. "And what is to become of me ?" 
at last exclaimed their father, who had been silently 
listening to their fine projects. "Am I to be left like 
poor old Zebedee to mend my nets ? Rather than that, 



Theophanc Venard 43 

I will go too.'' Indeed he several times told his son 
that nothing but his duty to his other children kept 
him back, adding that he had no longer anything else 
to bind him, and that all he asked of God was to be 
allowed time to launch his children in life, and then 
sing his "Nunc Dimittis." 

So the days sped on, only too rapidly, and each 
evening became more sad as it grew nearer to the 
one which was to hear the last farewell. Poor Melanie 
felt the strain especially, and every night would linger 
after the others to get the last kiss and the last word. 
There was always something more to say and the 
last night of all they made no attempt to retire. 
Melanie had several little things to add to his outfit; 
and he sat watching her, saying as many loving things 
as his sad heart would allow. Ten years later, Theo- 
phane, then a Confessor for the Faith, remembered 
every single incident of that night, which consoled 
him even in the bottom of his cage. Only two days 
before his martyrdom, he wrote to his sister, "It 
was alone with you that I passed that delicious night 
of the 26th of February, 1851, that night at home 
which was the scene of our last interview on earth, 
spent in holy, helpful, consoling talk like that of St. 
Benedict and his sister." 

The day of departure came at last. The whole 
family sought strength where alone it could be 
found, and received Holy Communion together. Theo- 
phane served the Mass with a rapt manner and ex- 
pression, which made him look more like an angel 
than a man. Then came farewell visits to friends 
and relatives, when he tried to turn aside sorrowful 
thoughts and anticipations by a bright, gay manner, and 
occasional little jokes; yet he owned afterwards that 
he was nearly suffocated with sorrow. One visit cost 



44 A Modern Martyr 

him many tears, — it was to the churchyard, to the 
tomb of his mother, whom he had so idolized, and from 
whom he had been separated at the hour of her death, 
so that he had never had her dying blessing — to him a 
cause of eternal regret. He could scarcely tear him- 
self away from those precious remains. And yet the 
thought of this visit was most consoling to him after- 
wards, and he always spoke of it with tears of grati- 
tude. 

The hour of departure was fixed for nine o'clock in 
the evening. Theophane had chosen that time to 
avoid a crowd of anxious and sympathizing friends; 
his brother and one old friend were to drive him to 
Parthenay, where he would take the night train. The 
family sat down to dinner earlier than usual, the good 
old pastor of the village having joined them ; and Theo- 
phane, by almost superhuman efforts, succeeded in 
making the meal cheerful, almost gay. But a few 
words from his father towards the end brought back 
sad and sorrowful thoughts, and they all became more 
and more silent. The dinner was over and the time 
of departure was drawing nearer every moment. As 
usual they said the rosary together, then read a chap- 
ter from the Imitation, after which they knelt for 
evening prayers. No one had the courage to lead 
except Theophane himself, and as he went on the 
sobs and tears of his little audience became more 
pronounced. Whatever restraint we may put upon our 
feelings before men, the barrier breaks down when we 
find ourselves alone with God! Theophane with diffi- 
culty finished the prayer, and approaching his father, 
said, 'The hour is come; we must part. My father, 
will you not bless your son, your poor little Theo- 
phane?" As he spoke, he threw himself at his father's 
feet, embracing his knees. The poor father lifted his 



Theophane Venard 45 

eyes and his hands to Heaven, and with a broken 
voice, making the sign of the Cross on his child's 
head, said, ''My dearest son, receive the blessing of 
your father, who offers you a willing sacrifice to our 
Lord. May you be blessed forever and forever, in 
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen!'^ 

Then Theophane rising, knelt for. a moment in the 
same way for the good old priest's blessing, and rap- 
idly kissed his whole family, as he did each evening 
before going to bed; but this was for the last time! 
Henry went out to see if the carriage was ready. 
Eusebius threw himself into his brother's arms, sob- 
bing as if his little heart would break. Melanie, kiss- 
ing him and crying ''Only once more," fell back almost 
fainting on her chair. The poor father, still and im- 
movable from excess of sorrow, leaned heavily on the 
arm of his old friend, the Cure. 

"Courage! let us be generous in our sacrifices!" 
murmured the poor missioner. He could bear no 
more. With one last kiss to his half-unconscious 
sister, he seized his cloak and hat, and rushed into 
the carriage. Then several friends and townspeople 
crowded round him, to shake hands for the last time. 
He wrung their hands, exclaiming "Good-bye! good- 
bye ! we shall meet in our true home," and the carriage 
set off rapidly for Parthenay. The sacrifice was over, 
and M. Venard, without wronging his other children, 
could say, "I have lost the fairest flower in my gar- 
den !" The delay at the moment of departure, though 
slight, made them miss the train at Parthenay by five 
minutes. This was a minor but very real trial to our 
poor Theophane, who longed for the final parting to 
be over. But there was no help for it, and so Theo- 
phane and Henry waited for the next train, which 



46 A Modern Martyr 

started at six o'clock in the morning. His brother 
remarked that when once settled in the railway car- 
riage, Theophane looked away, and burying his face 
in his hands, cried bitterly and uncontrollably, to re- 
lieve the poor heart which had with such difficulty 
contained itself during the long ordeal.* 



*Henry, who was alive when the writer first visited Assai, remembered 
this night vividly. He died shortly before the Beatification. [Eld. 



Theophane Venard 47 



CHAPTER V. 
In Paris — The "Missions Etrangeres." 

Three days after the sad parting we have just 
recorded, Theophane left Poitiers for Paris, and ar- 
rived at the Foreign Mission Seminary. "I had hardly 
come into the house,'' he wrote to his sister, "when I 
was met with affectionate greetings on all sides, and 
every kindness was showered upon me. One hoisted 
up my trunk into my cell ; another uncorded it ; a third 
made my bed and showed me where my little estab- 
lishment was to be; a fourth took me all over the 
house, introduced me to the Directors, and showed me 
the garden. In half an hour I felt as if I knew them 
all intimately. Oh, the good their welcome did to my 
poor, sad heart! There is nothing like the love and 
charity of this house and the way they make one feel 
immediately at home." 

This spirit of charity and mutual kindness is the 
distinguishing characteristic of the Foreign Mission 
Seminary in Paris. Its divine fire is carefully main- 
tained by the superiors as the best means of spreading 
its genial rays to the extremities of the heathen world. 
In the heart of a great city, and in a world gone drunk 
with dissipation and all kinds of business, these young 
men find an abode of peace and quiet indeed, but 
no ascetic solitude. Rather is it a home where each 
strives to be foremost in loving, kindly ways and con- 



48 A Modern Martyr 

sideration for the others ; and the Holy Spirit seems 
especially to bless this atmosphere of mutual charity 
and forbearance, and to pour His sevenfold gifts on 
the future Apostles, who are learning in that best of 
schools — for it is our Lord's — the school of love.* 

Theophane v^as thoroughly happy here, although 
his new life did not altogether do away with the 
bitterness of separation from those he held most dear. 

He writes, "We are all like one family, with one 
object and one aim. We have no care or troubles and 
I should have nothing left to desire if you were by 
my side. I am greatly touched by your anxiety about 
me, my dearest father, but you must let me scold you 
about this a little bit. Am I not more than ever the 
child of Providence ? Did you not yourself give me up 
to God? He who watches over the birds of the air 
and the flowers of the field, will He not take care of 
me wherever I may be ? I cannot help longing for you, 
and missing you terribly sometimes; but love suffers 
and is resigned, and the thoughts of Heaven grow 
more vivid as we become more detached from all on 
earth. Only a little more trust ! A little more confi- 
dence in God ! A little more patience ! and the end will 
come, and the past weary years will seem as nothing; 
then will arrive the moment of reuniorr, and all will 
be amply compensated for and repaid, principal and 
interest. O Christian hope! How beautiful thou art! 



•The writer has been privileged to remain as a guest at the Missions 
fetrangeres in Paris. The atmosphere of this house is indescribable. 
One feels about him the presence of a purely unselfish love of God. 
The recreations are full of life, the students at times even boisterous, 
though never rough ; sadness finds no resting place on the features 
of these bright young men who are preparing to be apostles, perhaps 
martyrs. Any consciousness of the spirit of self-sacrifice, which to 
an eminent degree they all possess, is entirely lacking. On the 
contrary, humility expresses itself so naturally in their words and 
acts, that one dwelling among these chosen souls hardly realizes the 
heroism of purpose and the burning love with which they are ani- 
mated. [Ed. 




PARIS SEMINARY FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS. 
The Chapel. 



1 



Theophane Venard 49 

How thou dost satisfy the heart of man,^ the creature 
of a day, and yet created for an eternity of bliss V 

His family could not rise at once to his spiritual view 
of the future, and their letters gave evidence of the 
void he had left behind and their despair at losing him. 
His answers, therefore, were written at this time to 
heal the wound he had caused, and he had always a 
kind and loving word for the consolation of each. To 
Henry he writes, '*Your letter touched me deeply, 
especially where you say that the thought of me is 
not enough — that you want my bodily presence to com- 
fort you. I feel just the same about you all. My 
thoughts fly home to the little room where you all are 
in the evening, and to my place by Melanie's side, and 
to the thousand and one recollections of our boyhood. 
But it is God's Will that we should be separated. May 
that Will be forever blessed! After all, are we not 
bound for the same haven? Will not the gaps in the 
family circle then be filled up ? Nay, more, are we not 
already expected up there by one most near and dear 
to us? You recollect our last visit before leaving 
home — ^the visit paid at your suggestion — to the ceme- 
tery, where we prayed and cried so together for our 
darling mother? Well, very soon we shall go and 
join her; and the links that bind us are tightened at 
the thought, and the time which seems so long and 
weary is bridged over.'' 

To his sister he says, *^If I have read your dear let- 
ter over once, I have read it twenty times ! Every word 
you say goes to my heart, for we are one — are we not ? 
— with the same feelings, the same tastes, the same 
wishes, the same hopes. We really are, as the saying 
is, born for each other; and how comes it, then, that 
we are separated? Why, because God wished that 
4 



50 A Modern Martyr 

we should be united eternally. As you said yourself 
one day, dearest Melanie, if we could live together 
here below, we should have cared too much for the 
world, and so He has divided us that our souls may 
be more and more purified, and sigh more and more 
after the moment when they shall take their flight to 
Heaven. A great servant of God once said that 'if 
some gall were not mingled in our earthly cup, we 
should be content with our exile, and think less of our 
own true country/ . . ." 

To Eusebius he sends also a word of loving sym- 
pathy: ''You cannot imagine the pleasure your letters 
have given me. I know well my poor little brother's 
tender, loving heart, but I rejoice that you have strug- 
gled against your sorrow, and not given way to it too 
much. You have thrown yourself into Mary's arms as 
a child into the arms of its mother. What a comfort 
it is to be able to do that in our moments of loneliness 
and desolation ! Let Mary always be your refuge, my 
darling brother. The Blessed Virgin is much loved 
and honored in the Mission House here. When you 
have any little sorrow or trouble go simply to her, 
and ask her to offer it up for you to our dear Lord, 
and there leave it without any further care or pre- 
occupation. Then you will have nothing to fear either 
from men or devils. You will walk quietly in the path 
of life until you come hopefully to that home for which 
we all sigh and where we wish to be!" 

After what we have told our readers, it is not to 
be wondered at that Theophane not only won all hearts 
at the Seminary, but made rapid progress in the paths 
of perfection. His humility and simplicity concealed 
even from himself the beauty of his soul, but it could 



Theophane Venard 51 

not be hidden from his superiors, and still less from his 
holy and wise director. Among the students, two, 
M. Dallet and M. Theurel, soon won a high place 
in his affections.* But fearful lest the tie should 
become too human, they mutually agreed to tell each 
other their faults, and so to make their very intimacy 
a means of advancing more rapidly in their heaven- 
bound path. Theophane fulfilled this compact consci- 
entiously, and it might have been thought almost se- 
verely, if his words had not been tempered by such 
extreme humility and sweetness as to disarm all 
inclination to wounded feeling. As far as he himself 
was concerned, he was his own severest accuser, and 
often his humility led him to exaggerate his short- 
comings to such an extent that he honestly believed 
himself utterly unfit for the apostolic life he had 
chosen and besought the prayers of all his friends 
for his conversion. He even had himself publicly 
recommended at Notre Dame des Victoires, and, writ- 
ing to a lady who had been preparing various little 
things for his future chapel, he says, ^*I am not sure of 
being allowed to go. I feel myself so utterly un- 
worthy! Not that my desire is altered; on the con- 
trary, I am more firmly resolved than ever. But the 
decision does not rest with me. May His holy will 
be done! After all, if they think me unworthy of 
the missionary life, you must not be troubled; for it 
is not for me you have been working, but for God; 
and if I do not make use of your gifts, you will find no 
difficulty in placing them elsewhere. And, indeed, if I 
thought you were working for me, I should be in 

•Two of Theophane Venard's fellow-students were yet at Paris when 
the writer first visited the Seminary. One of them, Fr. Delpech, 
(v. p. 96) was superior. Fr. Delpech recalled the gaiety of Theo- 
phane while at the Mission House, a disposition so pronounced, 
that the future martyr was always the life of any little circle of 
students among whom he might be found, [Ed. 



52 A Modern Martyr 

great distress to know how to repay you for your 
kindness and zeal. But, thank God, I know that it is 
for Him you labor — to Him that you have devoted 
your life. He reserves for you a glorious crown, and 
the brightest flower in that crown will be your co- 
operation in this work of the foreign missions. Oh, 
what a joy would it be to me at that great day, when 
the prizes will be distributed by the hand of unerring 
Justice, if I might hear your name and your merit rec- 
ognized and rewarded, and be permitted to sing 
'Amen' to the solemn declaration which will admit 
you into the land of everlasting light and love — into 
the presence of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, and of His holy Mother, and of all His holy 
angels and saints !" 

Theophane was to be ordained deacon at Christmas 
in 1851, and wrote with delight of the retreat which 
was to precede his ordination : — 

*'On Sunday evening next we go into retreat till the 
Saturday following, a holy and happy time of medita- 
tion and prayer, when we dwell under the shadow of 
the altar, free from cares and distractions, absorbed in 
God. Fancy a delicious day in spring, with a pure 
sky, all nature bursting forth into leaf and blossom, 
or the deep calm of a tomb. . . . Ah, it is better than 
all this, for it is Heaven begun on earth, God com- 
municating Himself to man, man raising and uniting 
himself to God ! Ah, dear friend, what happiness He 
allows to His creatures!'' 

Then came the ordination. He writes, "The ordina- 
tion was very large, and all the different communities 
of Paris contributed some members. I found, kneel- 
ing side by side with me, Lazarists, Dominicans, Fran- 



i 



Theophane Venard 53 

ciscans, Missionaries of the Holy Ghost, Irish, Ne- 
groes, etc. I knew none of them ; but my heart went 
out to them with love and sympathy, for are we not 
children of the same Father, servants of the same 
Master, soldiers of the same King? The same object 
unites us; the same grace, in different degrees, was 
distributed to us; the same God gave Himself to us; 
and we invoked the same Queen, Mary, Mother 
of the Saviour of the world. And then, as brothers, 
we gave one another the kiss of peace. Oh, how 
happy I was!'* 

Theophane had a special devotion to church music, 
especially to the old hymns and canticles. He wrote 
of them as follows : — 

"The hymns of the Church have always had a 
peculiar charm for me, and the more I hear them 
the more I long to hear, and the oftener I sing them 
the oftener I like to sing, for they are the voice of 
man in his exile, and the voice of the Church, praying, 
hoping, loving. Would that my countrymen would go 
back to the good old days of a purer and stronger 
faith, and not be ashamed to sing together the songs 
of their forefathers ! Now they care only for political 
or revolutionary ditties ; a malediction on those who 
have swept away the faith and the hope of our people, 
who have robbed them of their peace and their tran- 
quillity ! France used to be so calm and happy. But, 
no; we will curse no one. Only, rnay God have 
mercy on us all!'' 

But Theophane was not to see only the inside of the 
Seminary. He was sent on several occasions into 
the great world of Paris, and of this wonderful capi- 
tal he writes thus to his brother Henry: — 



54 A Modern Martyr 

"At Paris we are in the midst of the extremes of 
vice and virtue — ^vice of the lowest and most degrad- 
ing kind, and virtue the most heroic! In returning 
from Meudon, which is our little country house, about 
two leagues from Paris, I constantly pass through the 
Bois de Boulogne. It is a magnificent park, splendid- 
ly laid out with walks and drives, shaded by fine 
trees, and full of beautiful flowers. It is crowded 
with people on foot, in carriages, and on horseback. 
On leaving the park you pass through the Barriere 
de TEtoile, and its triumphal arch, to an avenue which 
leads to the Place de la Concorde. This avenue is 
planted with trees, and on either side you see fine 
houses and beautiful villas. There is even a larger 
crowd here than in the Bois. The greater portion are 
pleasure-hunters. Do they find it? Well, perhaps 
those do who care for nothing but dissipation and jol- 
lity. But happiness? No; happiness is to be foun^* 
only in home and in the domestic circle where God 
loved and honored, and everyone loves, and helj^s, 
and cares for the other. The great cry now is, *the 
People.* The word written up everywhere is 'Fra- 
ternite' — ^^Brotherhood.' In Paris they have well-nigh 
abolished the idea of family life. If I were not afraid 
of vexing some really good souls among them, I 
should say that Paris was nothing but a scene of con- 
fusion, a heterogeneous mass, where no one knew or 
cared for or respected the other. To realize the true 
meaning of Brotherhood, it should be written not on 
the walls, but in the heart. There is a beautiful reci- 
procity of feeling in the diflferent relations of life 
where all are united in the one great love of Him who 
gave His life for us, our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ! If only everyone could feel this, how per- 
fect would be the harmony of earth!" . . . 



Theophane Venard 55 

To Eusebius he writes, — ^''You want me to describe 
Paris to you? Well, let us get out at the Orleans 
Railway Station, where the rail ends from Poitiers, 
and we shall find ourselves on the Quays which line 
the Seine, or rather which restrict it within very nar- 
row bounds, and into which all the drains are emptied, 
so that the water is anything but sweet and clear 
like our Thouet. . . . The Tuileries garden would be 
the next object of interest to you, and I should praise 
it, like the Luxembourg, if it were not so peopled 
with pagan deities! Now, you are in the very heart 
of the Parisian world. You see splendid mansions, 
brilliant equipages, elegant dandies, beautiful ladies, 
who strut like peacocks, but who, it seems to me, need 
to go to school again to learn modesty, humility, and 
even common sense. Everybody lounges about, here, 
or in the museums, or in the galleries of the Palais 
Royal, or in the Jardin des Plantes, or in the Bois 
de Boulogne, where the only object seems to be to see 
and be seen. Here is a whole tribe of nurses with 
their babies; and the monkeys are showing off their 
tricks, and the fountains are playing, and the jugglers 
are trying to make people laugh. . . . Well, have not 
these people really earned their dinners ? Then comes 
the evening, when everyone seems to think it neces- 
sary to go to some theatre or other, or to some ball, 
winding up with ice and coffee in the Boulevards, if 
not in a drawing-room ; and the gas lights up the 
city all night, and the world goes to bed when the sun 
is rising. What a day for a reasonable being, let alone 
a Christian! This is Paris life, the life of people in 
the world who fancy they have found happiness. 
Frankly, the whole thing disgusts and wearies me to 
death. I should never end if I were to tell you how 
ridiculous poor human nature appears in a thousand 



56 A Modern Mart3rr 

ways when left to itself, regardless of God, our good 
God, the only end and aim of life! One gives him- 
self the airs of a philosopher, another, of a poet ; this 
one has a passion for music, that one for pictures. 
All talk politics, of which three parts know nothing 
whatever. It is really humiliating to hear them ! Oh, 
you cannot think, after I have been elbowed half a day 
by all these worldly people, what a relief it is to me to 
come back to the Mission House ! How I love its cool, 
calm, quiet cloisters, the peace in its cells, the hours 
of study and meditation, the gaiety of its recreations, 
the charity and good will of its inmates, the charm 
of its chapel, the recollection of its history, the in- 
describable ^something' which seems to speak to us 
all day of the Apostolate and martyrdom! . . . One 
day I went to Versailles; I saw its enormous castle, 
and gardens, and park, but I could not feel enthusiastic 
about any of them. I kept thinking, 'Well, this is 
all that man can produce of magnificence and splendor. 
How miserably unsatisfactory!' Ah, but all earthly 
things fade so before the thoughts of Heaven! . . . 
You ask me about the sights, the inventions, and the 
balloons. Well, as to the last, the ladies themselves 
are the most marvellous specimens ! Even in heathen 
times, I verily believe such things would have been 
scouted. If man would give the glory of his inven- 
tions to God, they might bring a blessing; but we see 
nothing, hear of nothing, but materialism and 'nature.' 
God help France and Europe! ... If you ever come 
here you will be as struck as I am at the marvellous 
dissipation of this place, the ceaseless turmoil, and 
bustle, and noise, and unrest. Oh, how I hate these 
never-ending streets, which tire my feet, my eyes, and 
my ears, where the world and its views reign supreme, 
and the one object of every living being seems to be 




THE RIVER THOUET. ST. LOUP. 



41 



Theophane Venard 57 

pleasure, and pleasure only! In the midst of this 
impious city real saints are found, but most of those 
who have eyes do not see them or know them. They 
are hidden from the crowd and known only to God, 
and, thank Him, they are multiplying. Oh, Chris- 
tianity is not dead, as the gentlemen of the Voltaire 
school are pleased to say!" . . . After dwelling a 
little longer on Paris and its sights, he exclaims, ''But 
what is the use of my going on talking to you of all 
these vanities and follies? I went the other day to 
Notre Dame to see the splendid decorations which 
were used on New Year's Day, 1853, when Louis 
Napoleon made his triumphal entry into the cathe- 
dral. Well, what struck me most of all was the 
thought of how the great ones of earth were thus 
compelled to do homage to the majesty of God and 
to the glory of His Church. God alone is the sov- 
ereign beauty and His works alone are perfect. If 
man be ever so great, it is only when he draws his 
inspirations from God, and when, in heartfelt humil- 
ity, he gives to Him the glory. In Catholic countries 
all human potentates seek the support of the Church, 
for she is the one power—first and indestructible — 
and without her aid no Catholic government can 
exist, for the winds and the tempests would blow and 
sweep it away from the face of the earth." 

This, surely, is a noble view to take of the political 
situation of a great Catholic country. In 1848 Theo- 
phane had been painfully moved by the debate in the 
National Assembly; and when he came to Paris he 
asked and obtained permission to go to the Chambers 
and hear the principal speakers. He gave an account 
of his impressions to his father, and his sinister pre- 
visions were soon realized. The political horizon be- 
came more and more darkened, and the agitation was 



58 A Modern Martyr 



/ 



at its height, when the Coup d' Etat of the 2nd of De- 
cember gave the signal for a fresh revolution. On 
this event Theophane wrote as follows : — "My dearest 
Father, — It is ten o'clock in the morning. Paris is 
declared in a state of siege. The National Assembly- 
is dissolved." . . . Then he goes on to relate facts 
well known, and subjoins, "May our good God come 
to our aid, and direct all to His honor and glory! 
Let us pray for France and for all Europe. We have 
been expecting this shock from day to day and so we 
are not troubled. When and how will it all end? 
Human events succeed one another so rapidly and 
then pass away. God alone is immutable— let us go 
to Him ! After all, what does the future matter to us ? 
If the world were destroyed we should be safe in 
the bosom of His Church. The works of men alone 
remain — let them, then, be works of charity and jus- 
tice. All this seems to me to detach one more and 
more from things of earth and to fix one's thoughts 
and heart on Heaven." To a college friend he writes, 
"To remedy the evil, France must be converted or 
else God will permit the working classes, the men who 
possess nothing, to be sooner or later the instruments 
of His vengeance. It seems to me our business is to 
try to become, each one of us, better, and then God will 
have pity upon our country. . . As far as I am con- 
cerned, I assure you I am in perfect safety. Our con- 
gregation is looked upon with a favorable eye in Paris, 
and everyone knows us and is kind to us. In Feb- 
ruary, 1848, on the eve of the dethronement of Louis 
Philippe, our community was going across the Champs 
Elysees. An immense crowd had collected and some 
deliberated what they should do to the students. But 
the majority exclaimed, 'Let us leave them alone. 



Theophane Venard 59 

Those are the men who are going to martyrise them- 
selves in China!' and the observation saved our poor 
missioners. 

'The 4th of December we remained almost the 
whole day near the Bois de Boulogne. A detachment 
of cuirassiers had galloped toward Paris where tke 
fighting had begun. The workmen were in the streets, 
quiet and orderly, but anxious. They were very civil 
to us. The next day three of our students were obliged 
to go through the streets where they had already 
erected barricades. The soldiers were bivouacking 
by their fires ; a dense mob thronged around them, sul- 
len and silent, and breathing nothing but vengeance; 
but they allowed our missioners to pass without mo- 
lestation, and even showed them marks of kindness 
and good will."* 

After the Coup d' Etat, the agitation ceased, and 
people gradually became calmer. Theophane wrote 
hopefully to his godmother: "The new government 
seems well disposed towards religion and willing to 
give the Church her due. If it goes on so, God will 
send His blessing on this poor, distracted country and 
there may be some chance of seeing things reorgan- 
ized. Since our Lord Jesus Christ became man, His 
Divine manhood must take the lead in human affairs ; 
for a people calling itself Christian, and throwing off 
all allegiance to the Most High, becomes thoroughly 
ungovernable, for the simple reason that corruption 
is greater when it shows itself in what was originally 
good. Those who think they can see farther than 



*The students of the Paris Mission House are distinguishable by their 
cassocks and their beards. The cassock is shorter than the average, 
so as to facilitate rapid walking, long excursions being taken regu- 
larly into the suburbs. Those who are soon to depart grow beards 
during the last few months, as, according to the custom of Catholic 
missioners, the beard is quite universally worn in far-away countries. 



60 A Modern Martyr 

their neighbors are hopeful as to the future of 
France, which makes me sanguine too. Although I 
may soon be far away, I shall always look anxiously 
for tidings of my country's welfare. May God bring 
about a brighter day! Amen/' He ends with the 
beautiful words, — 

"O my Lord, Thy people know and love Thee by 
instinct; but they are deceived by their chiefs, who 
betray and mislead them. Oh, if only all the world 
were of one heart and one mind to serve and honor 
and glorify TheeT' 



Theophane Venard 61 



CHAPTER VI. 

Last Days in Paris — The Departure. 

We are tempted to give one or two more extracts 
from Theophane Venard's letters to his family during 
the remainder of his stay at the Paris Foreign Mission 
House; for these letters are so full of counsel, espe- 
cially those to his younger brother, that we have felt 
they might be of equal value to others in a like posi- 
tion. 

Eusebius had just entered the Preparatory Seminary 
at Montmorillon ; he was fifteen, and had a strong 
desire to become a priest. Under these circumstances 
he writes to Theophane for advice; and the elder 
brother answers as follows: — 

"My dear Eusebius, — ^You are now of an age to 
choose your future career, an age when people begin 
to think, and when certain convictions form them- 
selves in their minds and influence their conduct. In 
your intercourse with men, you will encounter much 
prejudice, many strange ideas, and perversions of the 
truth; for their minds have wandered from the good 
old paths; and society in Europe has become thor- 
oughly corrupt. I do not mean to say that there were 
not plenty of bad people in old times, as there are now, 
for man is ever the same. But formerly there were 
certain social bases and landmarks which none but 
the very vicious overstepped. For religion was the 



62 A Modern Martyr 

foundation of society and God gives life to nations as 
well as to individuals. Now all these safeguards are 
removed or ignored, but you will understand this bet- 
ter by and by. 

''Well, you are asking yourself what is to be your 
future ? Pray, simply, humbly, and fervently, to know 
God's will, and your path will be made clear. Then 
you will follow the inspiration which Divine mercy 
has put into your heart. Sometimes a person says, 'I 
will be a priest,' or 'a soldier,' or 'a landed proprietor,' 
and then he adds, 'Oh, such and such studies are not 
necessary for this or that profession !' This is the rea- 
soning of pure idlers. Then others go on about piety : 
"'Piety ! it is only good for priests and nuns. God does 
not expect so much of us!' {How do you know?) 
These are the arguments of cold and calculating na- 
tures. Now what I want you to say to yourself is, 'I 
am, first of all, a man, a reasonable being, created to 
know, love, serve, and glorify God. I come from 
God. I go to God. I belong to God. My body is His. 
My mind is His. My heart is His. I shall be judged 
according to my works and to the way I have corre- 
sponded to the grace given me. Well, then, God help- 
ing me, I will use this body, this mind, and this heart, 
as much as I possibly can for His greater glory, 
honor, and love.' 

"My dear Eusebius, life well employed consists in 
this — a faithful correspondence to grace, and a good 
use of the talents given. There is no other religion 
than this, and the rule of life is the same for all. 

" 'But,' you ask, 'what does God ask of mef Hu- 
mility, prayer, obedience to His Divine commands and 
to the voice of our mother the Church, and an entire 
abandonment of ourselves to His Divine Providence. 
You answer, — 



TheopKane Venard 63 

*' 'But many men do not reason like this.' 
*To God alone it pertaineth to judge of others. We 
have only to look to ourselves. For the moment, what 
you have to do is — study with all your might to make 
use of the -advantages which God has put in your way, 
and which you owe, under Him, to the generous love 
of our dear father. Work not to gain honor and 
distinction but to please God. He who does not work 
for God, works for the devil and for his friend, the 
world. God is represented on earth by His Holy, 
Catholic, Roman, and Apostolic Church. She is the 
City of God, whose citizens we are, no matter in what 
corner of the earth our lot may be cast. Our Lord 
Jesus Christ is the chief of this city ; but we shall not 
see this clearly until the consummation of all things. 
The Pope and the Bishops are His representatives on 
earth, and have a permanent and infallible authority 
to which we must submit, and in which we must be- 
lieve, as in Jesus Christ Himself. He who is not with 
them is against them. The Catholic Church on earth 
is termed Militant — ^that is, she is perpetually at war 
with Satan and the world. Ever since her birth she 
has been attacked on every side. Your business must 
be to fight for her, and under her banner, taking the 
saints as your protectors and guides. . . . Do not let 
yourself give way to vexation at little troubles and 
cares. Banish the idea that such and such things bore 
you. We have to learn very early to live amidst con- 
stant contradictions and mortifications of our natural 
tastes and inclinations. But it is this which trains us 
and makes us good soldiers of the Cross, and the soul 
is thereby raised and purified. It is a trite saying 
that there is no heaven without a cloud and that you 
mustn't expect anything to be perfect in this life, but 
what I want you to do is to bear everything cheerfully 
and gaily, to rejoice even in vexations ; and if you 



64 A Modern Martyr 

can't be bright naturally, strive to be bright in and 
for God. ... Be agreeable in conversation, good- 
humored and merry, full of cheerfulness and fun, and 
not brooding on disagreeables. And now you will say 
I have preached enough, and so I will only add, hav- 
ing laid down certain great principles for your life, 
forward ! Don't be afraid of being laughed at. You 
will crown all by keeping up the tender love of a little 
child for the Blessed Virgin and a confiding trust in 
your Guardian Angel." 

A little later he writes to him on his vocation — "You 
tell me that your wishes, your tastes, a secret inspira- 
tion of grace, draw you strongly towards the priest- 
hood. May God's Holy Name be praised ! But if our 
Lord calls you, you must answer. One day little 
Samuel heard a voice crying out, 'Samuel! Samuel!' 
'Here I am, Lord,' he replied. Ecce ego, Domine, 
quia vocasti me, Eusebius! you think our Lord has 
called you. Well, then, you must answer like Samuel, 
'Here I am, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? 
With the help of Thy grace I will do all that Thou dost 
appoint, and that grace I feel will not be wanting.' 

"It is, then, on the 1st of October — the month 
dedicated to the angels — that you are to leave your 
country and your home and your beautiful valley, to 
go into a strange place. Courage! When one leaves 
anything for God He rewards us a hundredfold; He 
has said so Himself. Btft (you say) you are 'alone,' 
'quite alone.' Oh, no, you are the child of our Divine 
Lord and His Blessed Mother, the child of His Love, 
the sheep of His pasture; have confidence in God. 
Nevertheless, if there are times when your heart sinks 
within you, my dearest brother, go to the chapel, offer 
to our dear Lord your tears and your sacrifice, and 
then, alone before God, consecrate yourself anew 
without reserve to His service. Offer Him, to be- 



Theophane Venard 65 

gin with, the trials of your college life; throw your- 
self like a boy into the arms of Mary, and believe me 
when I say you will never be forsaken. 

"You will have to choose a confessor, and for this 
you must pray earnestly to our Lord and His Mother 
to enlighten and guide you. Then, when you have 
chosen one, you must open your whole heart to him, 
not only in the confessional, but when you see him 
alone elsewhere ; make him your friend and counsellor 
in all your little difficulties and sorrows, and tell him 
of your temptations and faults with thorough sim- 
plicity and openness. Then be guided by his advice, 
and follow it to the letter. This is the kind of spiritual 
direction necessary to one who seeks to advance 
towards perfection. Confide in him entirely, and be 
sure that he will keep all your little secrets as if they 
were told in the confessional. You are no longer a 
child, dear Eusebius, and you must begin to walk as 
one worthy of the mercies of God, and of His great 
designs in your behalf. Make a little book in which 
you can write your impressions and your religious 
feelings, now and then, putting down the date ; you can 
dedicate it to our Lady. Some time later you will read 
them over again with pleasure, and they will serve 
to brace you up when days of heaviness and weariness 
overcome your courage." 

(Theophane himself had this practice, but, unfor- 
tunately, when he was ill, he insisted on burning all 
that he had written.) 

"'I should like to think that you deprived yourself 
now and then of some indulgence to give to the poor. 
You ought not to run into great expenses or attempt to 
imitate the luxurious habits of many of those around 
you. Remember your?own simple home, and still more 
remember how many thousands there are who suffer 
5 



66 A Modern Martyr 

for want of the very necessaries of life. Above all, 
never forget that God is in everything, in little things 
as in great. He ought to be the one motive of your 
thoughts, words, and actions. Go often to confession, 
have great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and as- 
sociate yourself as soon as you can with some congre- 
gation of our Lady. Oh, how happy I was when I 
first became a child of Mary! Go, then, dearest 
brother, and may the Angel of God guide your steps ! 
A great future is before you ! a grand vocation ! Think 
of it well, anchored on the infinite mercy of God. 
. . . Perhaps you will hear a voice saying, ^Come with 
me,' and perhaps we shall find ourselves soldiers of 
the same regiment, travellers on the same road, bound 
for the same haven. May His Holy Will be done, and 
not ours. Strive to fulfil with diligence and joy the 
work of each day ; be gay, very gay. The life of a true 
Christian should be a perpetual jubilee, a prelude to 
the festivals of eternity " 

These letters abundantly show the anxious care and 
thought which Theophane bestowed on his brothers, 
who were the continual subject of his prayers, and 
when he became a priest, of his Masses likewise. On 
one occasion he wrote and told Eusebius that he was 
going to say Mass for him on the 1st of August, the 
Feast of St. Eusebius, when, from some unknown rea- 
son, he changed it to the second of the month. Now 
it happened on that very day that a thunderbolt struck 
the College of Montmorillon, and an electric spark 
fell on Eusebius, who was left for dead, and with great 
difficulty recovered. Eusebius always attributed this 
escape to the intervention of his brother, who at that 
very moment was offering up for him the Holy Sac- 
rifice. 



Theophane Venard 67 

To his elder brother, Henry, Theophane writes in a 
different strain; but his letters are full of suggestive 
thoughts and beautifully expressed. On one occasion 
he writes, — 

"I am not astonished that my loving old brother 
found poetry in my letters but I think that his own 
heart supplied it. Talking of poetry, do you not think 
that men have profaned it more than ever in these 
latter days? Poetry presupposes a soul lifted above 
the things of sense ; it means the outpouring of a heart 
full of love for God and for our neighbor, keenly 
alive to the beauties of nature and of grace. The mys- 
teries of Christianity and of the Blessed Eucharist are 
eminently fitted for a poet. So also are pure love, de- 
votion, heroism, self-sacrifice, and the rest. But when 
I see men calling themselves poets, and abusing their 
gift by impure allusions, and sophistries, and vague 
aspirations after dreams which have no existence ex- 
cept in their morbid imaginations, I confess I have no 
patience with them. Poetry is not meant to be merely 
the exaltation and feeding of human passion by sen- 
sual indulgence. Yet three parts of the world call this 
poetry. Oh, let us draw our inspirations from purer 
sources ! The literature of the day seems to me to run 
forever either in impure or rationalistic channels, so 
much so, that I dread lest we shall be all submerged 
in the foul tide! I try to think of the exile going 
back to his country. He sees and thinks of nothing 
else. We are all exiles here below. Let us hasten on 
to our home in Heaven. ... I am very much struck 
with the young men I have met here outside of the 
Seminary, They are such contradictory creatures. 
There is in them a great deal of pride with considerable 
generosity; a strong love of independence with a 
certain submission; much impurity with a vestige 



68 A Modern Martyr 

of better thoughts learned at a mother's knee; some 
courage and audacity, and yet more weakness and 
foolish yielding ; an ardor for work by fits and starts, 
but usually inconceivable idleness ; a desultory way of 
living and acting without aim or purpose ; in fact, the 
old strife between the spirit of evil and the spirit of 
good. Still among these young men there are excep- 
tions. I know some who are living in the world, in 
the very heart of great riches and luxury, and yet 
are humble, pious, devout, charitable, and reverent, — 
seeking out the poor in their garrets, religious 'as a 
woman,' as the saying is. Their manners are simple 
and natural, for they are thoroughly in earnest. They 
are bright, amiable, and courteous, with faces which 
prepossess one at first sight. Their lives are spent in 
doing good. I don't mean to say that they don't 
commit faults sometimes, for human nature is weak; 
but their very failings increase their humility and 
make them lean more completely on the Divine mercy. 
God be praised ! Such men are not very rare, though 
they do not show themselves much in the streets. 
There is another species, whom one sees all day long 
lounging at cafes or in ball-rooms, never by them- 
selves. They are restless, walking in a wild sort of 
way, judging and criticizing everybody and every- 
thing. They neither respect nor esteem women. 
They want to know everything, hear everything, and 
see everything. They talk for the sake of talking, 
and their least sin is that of doing nothing. . . . Such 
young men swarm in the streets of Paris and their 
secret lives are more pitiable than their public ones. 
All young men, more or less, may rank in one or 
the other of these two classes. It does not cost more 
to side with the right, but then one must have a 



Theophane Venard 69 

heart and reason calmly as to the object of life, — 
in a word, serve and love God. 

"Good-bye, my dearest brother. Write to me soon 
again. Your letters do me so much good." 

But it was to Melanie that Theophane spoke all his 
most intimate thoughts and aspirations, poor Melanie, 
who had never recovered from her brother's departure, 
and at last had become seriously ill. After a time she 
rallied, and then her brother (whom she called her 
''other half") wrote to her as follows: — 

"My dearest Sister, — I am glad you have been ill, 
and I am very thankful you have recovered. To ex- 
plain my first proposition, which will appear very ex- 
traordinary, I feel that you have had the opportunity 
to suffer something for the love of our Lord. Oh, I 
am quite sure you felt the advantages of your position ! 
Sufferings are the money with which one buys 
Heaven; therefore, your fortune is already begun. 
As for me, I have not a penny. I am as poor as a 
church mouse. But I hope soon to go to California. 
Now do you understand my meaning? At any rate, 
you know how I love you." 

Melanie had long wished to devote herself to God 
in a religious life, but her brother's plans had 
thwarted the accomplishment of her own wishes for a 
time. She had made the sacrifice generously. Never- 
theless, she felt herself strongly urged in the same 
direction. 

"Be comforted, my dearest sister," writes Theo- 
phane. "We are made to live together ; then let us do 
so in Heaven. Be patient until God opens the way for 
you to give yourself entirely to Him. Perfection does 



70 A Modern Martyr 

not lie in one state of life more than in another, but 
consists in an entire correspondence with grace in 
the position in which God has placed us. Above all, 
do not be discouraged, or give way to sadness and 
despondency. Your holy and hidden life in the bosom 
of your family is quite as meritorious in the sight of 
God, and perhaps safer than a more heroic one." 

But although Melanie was compelled to wait for a 
few years to attain the great object of her wishes, she 
found she could realize a portion of them by conse- 
crating her virginity to our Lord, even while still 
living in the world; and on this she writes to consult 
her brother. He replies, — 

"Your letter has filled me with great joy, for I see 
how anxious you are to advance in the paths of perfec- 
tion. I have joined my^poor prayers with yours and 
laid them at the feet of our Lady of Victories. Do 
nothing hastily. You say you wish to obey your direc- 
tor, and you are quite right, for obedience alone is a 
sure guide. You are very good to consult me, my dear 
little sister; and I, who am so far below you in 
everything, — I thank you with all my heart for this 
fresh proof of your love. Well ! what answer am I to 
give you? You would not like me to say 'No,' and I 
should like it still less. How can I advise you to re- 
main in a world which I detest as you do, and which I 
have left myself? I know well that for a long time 
you have entirely detached yourself from its pleasures 
and its frivolities; but the last act, the act of entire 
renunciation, you have not yet signed and that is all 
that is left for you to do. What is there, then, to stop 
you? Consult your courage, consult the voice of 
grace, consult those with whom you live, and if no 
obstacle presents itself, may your holy desires be ful- 
filled. May God's will be done. Celebrate your nup- 



Theophane Venard 71 

tials, give Him your heart and your life, clothe your- 
self with the bridal robe, place His ring on your fin- 
ger, take a new name, enter into a new family. I wish 
you joy, sister Mary, virgin spouse of Jesus Christ! 
May the day come when I shall see my much-loved 
sister in the choir of virgins, of which Mary Immacu- 
late is the Queen, and when you shall count your 
brother in the ranks of apostles, and perhaps martyrs 
— who knows ? How joyfully we shall each then sing, 
'Regina Apostolorum, Regina Virginum, ora pro 
nobis /"f . . . 

"You wish me to guess the new name you have 
taken. I have puzzled my brains in vain and can find 
only my own. Perhaps, in the eccentricity of your 
love, you have chosen that one? And now you say 
you want to be a missionary nun — a tertiary, I sup- 
pose ? I have a little bit of a doubt as to the reality of 
this vocation ; it seems to me to taste a little too much 
of fraternal affection." 

But the great day came for Melanie, and on the 15th 
of July, 1852, her brother wrote again, — 

"I received your cake on the Feast of St. John, you 
naughty, little, spoiling sister, and I thought it very 
good, though a little salt, which is the fault of your 
confections. Well, be the salt of the earth ! So many 
souls get insipid and lukewarm. Ah, you did not ex- 
pect me to preach morality to you on a cake ! ... It 
is just like you and your love to remember all the little 
details of that last day, and how I carried my surplice 
on my arm. Ah, I am sometimes afraid you care for 
me too much ! Perhaps it is to punish us both that 
God told me to leave you. I congratulate you with all 
my heart on the step you have taken, and that you 

tQueen of Apostles, Queen of Virgins, pray for us. 



72 A Modern Martyr 

should thus have separated yourself from the world, 
though still living in it. God has inspired you and 
given you a great grace. I know you will receive it 
with gratitude and humility; but do not forget that 
your first duty is still to your family and for your 
family. . . . God bless you, sister Mary Theophane. 
All joy be with you in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. — 
Your devoted brother, T. V." 

The hour drew near when Theophane was to be- 
come a priest, and his zeal and fervor were redoubled. 
The atmosphere around him strengthened all these 
pious desires, and everything tended to help him on- 
ward in the path of perfection. In one of the corners 
of the garden at the Paris Foreign Mission House 
is a little oratory dedicated to Our Lady, and filled 
with candles and flowers. Every Saturday evening, 
and on all the vigils of her feasts, it is lighted, and the 
students go there to recite Litanies and sing hymns in 
her honor, after which follow the usual prayers at nine 
o'clock. But on leaving the chapel, and before re- 
tiring to his cell, each of the future missioners goes 
to pay a little visit to the Hall of Martyrs, a large room 
in which are ranged along the wall not only relics of 
the confessors, but the instruments of their torture and 
pictures of their martyrdom. Everyone stays a few 
minutes here to pray in silence, and then to kiss the 
crucifix stained wuth the blood of Bishop Borie. 
Theophane used to spend every spare moment in this 
room, and when the news came of the martyrdom of 
Father Schoeffler at Tong-king, he wrote to his sister, 
"Oh, if I might some day give my life like him for the 
Faith ! I am not afraid of saying so to you, because I 
know your generosity and that you would not even 
wish to rob me of my crown. This Tong-king Mission 



Theophane Venard 73 

is now the most enviable, for it is almost certain mar- 
tyrdom. . . . Whatever happens, I know I may reckon 
on your prayers." 

Every day he was getting more detached. Writing 
to the Bishop of Poitiers, he says, — 

''Formerly, my Lord, I rejoiced in the thought of 
receiving at your hands the last great grace which 
God has deigned to bestow on me. But Divine Provi- 
dence has ordered otherwise and disposed of my 
future. In the midst of my regrets I cannot help look- 
ing forward with joy. Yes, I own that every day I 
get more detached from France, even when France 
means to me Poitiers, and my tastes have become 
decidedly Chinese. I do not know what secret im- 
pulse makes me sympathize so warmly with people of 
another clime, be they Indians or Chinese. Some of 
my friends here declare I am growing like them, that 
I have a Chinese head, and Chinese eyes, and Chinese 
ways, in fact, that I am getting Chinese altogether. 
Do not think, however, that I have set my heart upon 
China. I have no other choice than the will of my 
superiors, that is, if they think me worthy of any 
mission at all, as I sometimes fear they will not. I 
shall always find myself too happy in the place where 
the Great Master will allow me to work for the wel- 
fare of my brethren and the Glory of His holy name." 

Nevertheless, his superiors had no difficulty in rec- 
ognizing the eminent merits of the young aspirant 
after foreign missions, in spite of the humility which 
induced him to throw a veil over all his actions; and 
so they hastened the time of his ordination (he was 
only twenty-two), and desired him to prepare himself 
for Trinity. He received the good news with a mix- 



74 A Modern Martyr 

ture of joy and fear, and writing to his Bishop ex- 
claimed, — 

"My Lord, — Fruit which grows ripe before the 
proper time has no flavor; and here am I, a young 
and green fruit, which yet must be ripe in a month. 
In spite of this hot May sun, is it not too soon ? . .1 
never dreamt of being called to the priesthood before 
Christmas, but God has disposed things otherwise. . . 
'Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat juven- 
tutem meamJ * Very soon, perhaps, another message 
will be brought to me, at the very thought of which 
my heart sings for joy. Tack your things, and start.' 
Yet when I look at myself, when I see the childish 
hands so soon to receive the holy oils ; the feet, fresh 
from the playgrounds, which are to carry so far the 
gospel of truth and peace; my whole being, in fact, 
only just beginning to understand what life is, and 
yet so soon to teach men how to live, I can scarcely 
help laughing and yet crying. So mingled are my 
feelings and thoughts at this moment, that I can only 
hope in God, and beseech Him to give me strength, 
meekness, humility, prudence, knowledge, and charity. 
I trust in your Lordship's kindness that you will give 
me a place in your prayers, which will obtain for me 
the graces of which I stand so much in need." 

A severe illness prostrated him for a time, but his 
courage and cheerfulness never deserted him; and 
in spite of his sufferings, which were very great, his 
gaiety and patience astonished his companions, who 
vied with one another as to who should wait upon him 
and do little things for him. He wrote gaily after 
his recovery, "I have a new body altogether, which, as 

*I will go unto the Altar of God, to God who rejoiceth ray youth. 



Theophane Venard 75 

I am going into a new country, will be very useful, and 
I hope we shall agree perfectly. It is a pity that I 
can't get a new spirit and a new heart, and then I 
should be altogether a new man. Pray that I may be 
thus transformed on the day of my ordination.^' He 
recovered sufficiently to be ordained on the 5th of June 
and said his first Mass the next day, — Trinity Sunday. 
He writes home on this occasion to his father, "My 
dearest Father, — Send me your blessing. I said my 
first Mass to-day. Oh, what a glorious day for me! 
True, I cannot yet meditate very well — my head is still 
weak and I can scarcely realize the awful mysteries 
of which I have become, as it were, a participator. 
But I feel a great peace, and am very happy. You will 
share in my joy, which is a family one. Would that 
you could have been with me on this day! But God 
ordered it otherwise. May we be strengthened in 
faith and hope ; at least we shall be united in prayer." 
The new missioner was at length a priest. His 
departure could not be long delayed, and the an- 
nouncement was made to him only three days after 
his ordination. He gave notice to his relatives that 
his destination was not yet fixed, nor the actual day 
of farewell, but that they must be prepared for a 
speedy summons. He told them that he had been 
promised a month's notice, and added, ''Dearest 
friends, — Courage and faith! God watches over us, 
and the Blessed Virgin is our protector." 

The missions of his two friends, Fr. Dallet and Fr. 
Theurel, were already fixed ; the latter was bound for 
Tong-king, the former for India. Fr. Dallet embarked 
in the middle of the month of August, and this was the 
first break in the chain which united these faithful 
friends. 



76 A Modern Martyr 

But the summons for Theophane Venard was not 
long delayed, and a letter dated the 13th of September 
announced his speedy departure to his family. 

"My dearest Father, Melanie, Henry^ and 
EusEBius, — Once more let us say together, 'God's holy 
name be praised !' About a month ago five of my fel- 
low-students received a notice to hold themselves in 
readiness for departure. I was left behind until my 
health should be fully regained. I could not help 
grieving very much, but let that pass, for time presses. 
One of the five, who had been compelled to return 
home for family affairs, did not come back on the 
day fixed. I have been, consequently, appointed to 
replace him. I am therefore going to leave you at 
once, my dearest ones, and to wish you good-bye until 
our reunion in Heaven. I shall not remain even this 
week in Paris; Friday will probably be my last day 
on the soil of France, as we are to embark at Ant- 
werp." 

The 19th of September was to be the day of de- 
parture, and in the morning Theophane sent a fare- 
well line to each member of his family. 

"My dearest and much-loved Father, — To-day I 
leave France. I must send you my last farewell ; we 
start at seven o'clock. On Monday we are to embark 
from Antwerp; Tuesday morning we set sail. Dear- 
est father, good-bye. My departure I know will be 
a sorrow to you; to me also the separation is very 
hard to bear. But courage! Life on earth passes so 
quickly and death will reunite us so soon; for death 
to a Christian is life, a life of eternal happiness in the 
bosom of our God, in company with His angels and 
His saints. Au revoir, then, dearest father; the w^ay 



Theophane Venard 77 

is short, and the end is blessed. Good-bye, I embrace 
you with all my heart/' 

"My much- loved Sister, my own little Me- 
LANiE,— Good-bye. I feel it very much that I am 
not able to write you a good long letter. It is positive 
suffering to me, for we have so many, many things to 
say to each other, but I have scarcely a moment. I 
shall never forget you or our happy childhood to- 
gether, or our family gatherings and home joys. By 
and by we shall all be reunited. I go with a heavy 
heart and eyes full of tears, but we must pray together, 
the one for the other, and bear the pain of parting 
bravely. God bless you. My paper must convey my 
last kiss to my darling sister." 

*'Good-bye, my dear, good Henry. Your last letter 
gave me so much pleasure. Oh, no, my heart is not 
made of stone ; on the contrary, just now it melts like 
wax. But we shall meet again. I am going to talk 
of our Father who is in Heaven, and make Him 
known to our brothers who as yet know Him not, and 
perhaps I shall be first at the tryst. Pray for me. 
Prayer alone can soften bitterness and assuage sor- 
row. And I, do you think I can ever forget you? 
Good-bye. Let us have courage in this life and fight 
our battles bravely. I love you with all my heart." 

"Good-bye, my poor little Eusebius. We are about 
to be separated but we shall be more and more closely 
united in thought and prayer. We must all walk 
straight heavenwards, no matter how rough the way. 
Happy those who get there first ! My colleagues and 
I start under the best auspices, for only yesterday we 
heard of a fresh martyrdom in Tong-king and it is for 



78 A Modem Martyr 

that mission we are bound. Good-bye! I kiss you 
on both cheeks. Once more, good-bye V 

Then came the usual ceremony of departure. The 
departing missioners entered the chapel after even- 
ing prayers and knelt on the altar steps. Behind them 
knelt the directors of the Seminary with the student 
body, as well as the friends and relatives who came to 
see the young apostles for the last time. Theophane's 
relatives were not of the number. After the prayers 
a short meditation was given, and the assistants sat 
down, the five missioners alone remaining on the 
altar step standing, while one of the directors, lately 
returned from a foreign mission, made a short but 
touching address. Then the five young apostles ap- 
proached the altar, and when close to the tabernacle 
turned to their brethren, who, leaving their places, 
went one by one, to kiss the feet of those who were so 
soon to be our Lord's heralds, while the choir intoned 
the anthem, ''Quant specie si pedes evangelizantium 
pacem, evangelizantium bona!"^^ 

A little episode followed, which was well described 
at the time by an eminent Catholic writer. 

"From the midst of the crowd of visitors an old 
man came forward, walking with some difficulty, and 
assisted by one of the directors of the Seminary. An 
inexpressible emotion was felt throughout the chapel, 
and the voices of the choir faltered as they watched 



*The ceremony of departure now takes place several times each year. 
During the Summer the date is generally fixed in August, and the 
ceremonies are divided between the Blessed Virgin's shrine in the 
garden and the chapel. As the chapel is not large and the main 
body is reserved for choir purposes, only a limited number of the 
laity may attend. [Ed. 

fHow beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, 
of them that bring glad tidings. 



Theophane Venard 79 

him slowly advancing up the aisle towards the altar. 
He kissed the feet of the four first missioners, but 
when he came to the fifth, the young man, as if in- 
stinctively, bent forward and tried to prevent him. 
But the poor old man knelt, or rather prostrated him- 
self before him, and not only pressed his lips to his 
feet, but his face and his forehead, so that his soft 
white hair covered them as with a veil; and then a 
sigh burst from his heart, which was more like a sob, 
a sigh which was heard all over the building, and at 
which everybody was moved to tears ; while the poor 
son himself (for it was his father) became whiter 
than a sheet. Yet this was the second son which this 
new Abraham had sacrificed to God, and it was the 
last! . . . They assisted the old man to rise, and he 
with difficulty returned to his place. The sympathy 
of all present was evident, while the choir, which in 
the excitement had paused for a moment, intoned the 
'Laudate pueri Dominum'/' 

After this touching ceremony, the missioners them- 
selves gave the kiss of peace to their brethren and 
friends, and then followed the ''Hymn of Departure/' 
by M. Dallet. (See p. 334X 



80 A Modern Martyr 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Voyage — Antwerp to Hong-Kong. 

Our travellers left Paris and the Seminary with 
full hearts. To Theophane, especially, the parting was 
very bitter, for he had become attached to the Semi- 
nary, and to everything in it, in a way which only 
clinging, loving natures like his can understand. The 
young missioners managed to get together in the rail- 
way carriage, so that they might console one another ; 
and after a time they became calm, — even joyous, so 
that Theophane wrote that they seemed "more like 
people going to a fete." Arrived at Antwerp they 
lost no time in going on board their ship, the Phylo- 
taxe (lover of order), an American clipper of 600 
tons, and a good, fast sailer. As a day or two elapsed 
before the ship was ready for sea, they spent this time 
seeing the quaint old Belgian town, and admiring the 
simplicity and devotion of its inhabitants. The em- 
barkation took place on the 23rd of September. Theo- 
phane wrote home, — 

"We bade farewell to Antwerp with a salute of 
nine guns, which was answered from the citadel. I 
am rather inclined to dreaming, and were it not for 
the help of God my heart would fail me altogether. 
You were more than half my life, and I feel the sepa- 
ration terribly, especially from the fact that it may 
be so long before I shall have any letter or tidings of 
you all. At any rate you are anchored in my remem- 



Theophane Venard 81 

brance — ^you see I am already getting nautical in my 
expressions — ^and I feel as if your presence would be 
ever with me, to cheer and strengthen me. We have 
already passed two nights on board ; how beautiful the 
nights are at sea ! The moon throws such a soft light 
on the waves while we walk up and down the deck, 
singing some national air, and smoking our cigars. 
For now we are ordered to smoke; and a kind old 
gentleman at Antwerp gave me for the passage a thou- 
sand cigars, of a mild kind, which I can manage bet- 
ter than the stronger ones. I sleep like a little bird in 
its nest and as yet I have not been sick. The vessel 
is most comfortable, the wind favorable, the crew a 
picked one, the discipline admirable, and the captain 
like a father. In spite of the dispensation, we ab- 
stained on Friday, as is the universal Belgian custom. 
The captain never omits grace before and after meals, 
and the officers are faithful likewise. I am struck 
with the hard life of these sailors but I see that it 
has a certain charm. I like to hear their monotonous 
singing during work, and to watch them climb the 
ropes; but the wonderful expanse of water, and the 
thoughts which it suggests, occupy me almost exclu- 
sively. I wished good-bye to every village and steeple 
as we sailed past. Now we see nothing but ocean 
and sky. Good-bye, then, for many months." He was 
able, however, to send a few pencil lines the next 
day, as follows: — 

^'Sunday, September 26, hy a fishing-smack, 

seven leagues from Calais, 

My dear ones, — One more word to say that I am 

well, though rather seasick. We are all bright and 

cheery on board. Pray for us. Dearest Father, Me- 

6 



82 A Modern Martyr 

lanie, Henry, Eusebius, once more good-bye! A last 
farewell to France, and to you all." 

According to all human probability these were, in- 
deed, the last words he was to send them from Europe ; 
but a further consolation w^as granted to his family 
through a violent gale, which obliged the ship to take 
refuge in Plymouth harbor, where it remained three 
days. Theophane gave his brother an amusing ac- 
count of the storm and its consequences; and adds, 
"This evening I have been watching a beautiful sun- 
set on the English coast while the moon rose on the 
French side of the Channel. I could not help think- 
ing about England, this country where the Sun of 
Truth has so long been darkened, — and praying for 
her w^ith all my heart. England could do so much for 
the good cause, if she would only make it her own! 
If she only saw the truth ! She reigns over the seas ; 
but she sows error wherever her flag floats. Let us 
pray that this state of things may not continue. It is, 
I fancy, a rare sight for English people to see a priest 
in his cassock; for when we went into the town, men, 
women, and children looked at us in amazement. 
Some of the little ones were fairly frightened and ran 
away; one of the men was curious enough to come 
and touch one of our cassocks and examine the but- 
tons. Then they burst out laughing, and that so 
naively, that we laughed too. It seems to me that 
they are very like the Chinese in character — curious to 
the verge of incivility and with little sense in their 
mockery." 

To his sister he wrote, — 

"Plymouth. 

Dearest Sister, — Peace and love and joy in our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Providence has willed that we 



Theophane Venard 83 

should be detained here, to repair the damage done to 
our ship in the gale — at least, that is the reason the 
world gives ; / believe it is to enable me once more to 
say good-bye at my ease to my friends. What do you 
think, dear little sister? Do you recollect how in old 
times, when the last of the holidays came, you and 
I used to take the longest road to the station, so as to 
prolong the time as much as possible and talk a little 
more? We never could agree as to which was to 
have the last word ; we always had so much to say to 
each other. And now I am leaving you indeed, and 
probably forever! Ought we not, then, to have a 
good long talk ? Ah, now comes the sorrow ! I must 
have all the say to myself. There is no dear little 
Melanie to answer me ; no gentle eyes to look at me ; 
no soft hand to hold in mine, and to keep it back, and 
try to make me stay a few minutes longer ! And our 
good father and brother, where are they? Ah, you 
are all together; and I? I am alone! Alone with God 
— alone forevermore! But I know how you have 
followed me in thought; and I like to think of this 
letter's arrival at our home, and the welcome it will 
get ! Am I not a real baby? But O my God, it is not 
wrong, is it, to love one's home, and one's father, 
and one's brothers, and one's sister ? — to suffer terribly 
at being parted from them? — ^to feel one's loneliness? 
— to try to console one another? — to mingle our 
prayers and our tears, and also our hopes? For we 
have left all for Thee. We wish to work but for 
Thee; and we trust to be reunited one day in Thee 
forever and forever! You see, my darling sister, as 
usual, I cannot help opening my whole heart to you, 
who understand me so well. But let us look the 
thing bravely in the face. All is over, is it not so ? An 
enormous distance is about to separate us. Never 



84 A Modern Martyr 

again shall we meet on this earth ! But after all, why 
do we feel it so dreadfully? A little sooner or a 
little later we shall be together again in Heaven. How 
short will our separation appear to us in eternity! 
Mother, friends, the Saints^ are all gone home before 
us. Au revoir! they said. So it is our business to 
follow them and to go to them. People who are 
taking a journey often go by different roads ; the only 
question is, which shall arrive first at the place of 
destination. Well, I am going by this road, you by 
that. Let the one who reaches home first encourage 
the other. 

"Melanie, my sister, I leave you a precious charge 
— that of our dear old father! You must help him 
to pass from this world to a better. You must be his 
angel of consolation and soothe his last days on earth. 
Watch over our brothers, too; try to make yourself 
one with them as you have been with me; and link 
yourself with them in the bonds of the tenderest affec- 
tion. Three are stronger than one; help one another 
onwards and upwards in the rugged path of life. 
Above all, let nothing separate your interests or your 
affections. True love cannot be snapped asunder; it 
spreads and widens, but never diminishes. Love 
never dies; for it is stronger than death. God Him- 
self has said so. The strength and increase of love 
is in prayer. We are little and weak and miserable 
but He who sustains us is strong and mighty. His 
arms are ever stretched out towards us; let us lift 
ours to meet Him. 

''Life has many bitter, sad, and weary hours ; often 
it can scarcely be called existence. The little rivulets, 
as well as the great rivers, all empty themselves into 
one source — ^the sea. God is an ocean of love and 
mercy; in Him alone is the fulness of joy. Patience 



..idiHr ,>ji A 



Theophane Venard 85 

and courage, then! A little while and we shall be 
with Him. He has promised it and He never belies 
His word. When the little river is dried up, the 
heavens give rain, and the river gaily continues its 
course. When our life is arid and we are ill at ease, 
let us ask for the dew and the refreshing rain and the 
food from God. Our Father who is in Heaven knows 
our wants, and feels for our weariness ; and He sends 
His ministers to supply our need. /Ask and ye shall 
receive.' Well, then, it is an understood thing, that 
each of us is to help and strengthen the other, and to 
make a start upwards. Short is the way and short 
the time. Courage, dearest sister ! my thoughts press 
and tumble one upon the other; but you understand 
even half a word ; and you will make the others enter 
into my feelings. I can speak freely only to you ; but 
if I write confusedly you will unravel it. 

"Dear Melanie, when you hear the priest at Mass 
intone the 'Sursum corda/ think that it is I who am 
speaking to you, who invite you in our dear Lord's 
name to lift up your heart. Yes, mount upwards ! up- 
wards! Mount always, like a bird of passage; and 
then all this sorrow will assume its just proportion, 
and Heaven will be attained. Even on this sad earth, 
with hearts on high, and spade in hand, we must labor 
each at his task. Be patient, gentle, loving; and pray 
for me, that I, working in my little furrow, may be 
the same. Pray for those among whom I am going to 
work, for these poor heathen brothers and sisters 
of ours, for whom I would so gladly give my life. 
Make your prayers thoroughly Catholic in that sense, 
for such is the real meaning of the communion of 
saints. 

'Trom time to time I hope that you will write me 
long letters to cheer me in my solitude, and that you 



86 A Modern Martyr 

will beg our dear old friends to do the same. Think 
what a joyful surprise a letter will be to me out there ! 
I shall send my scribblings in a Chinese guise to make 
you laugh ; for we must try to be gay and bright in 
our correspondence and not dwell always on the 
sadder side of life. And now, my darling sister, I 
must come to a stop. There is a limit to everything, 
even to these closely-written pages! My heart rests 
on your heart and my hand in yours. Adieu. You 
understand? God bless you, my dearest sister!'' 

From Plymouth Theophane wrote also a few lines 
to his little brother : — 

"Bless our Lord, and the rain and the winds and 
the tempests which have blown me into this town of 
Plymouth, that I might write one word more to my 
dear little Eusebius! Our good-bye has been said, 
and our lives will henceforth run in different channels 
— unless you come to have a Chinese taste like me ! I 
turn my back upon you, but not my heart, you will 
understand ! Our thoughts will ever be united, in our 
prayers as in our work. You are going back to col- 
lege. Work! work! work! Time is more precious 
than you realize. Learn all you possibly can, but 
especially languages; for people fraternize a great 
deal more than they used to do, and this fusion 
should tend to the triumph of truth. Try to cooperate 
in this great work. I leave you to the care of your 
good angel. May he guard and protect your youth 
and your whole life! Dear brother, we shall see 
each other in Heaven. I give you for advice the 
same words I gave Melanie, 'Sursum corda.' May 
God give you the fulness of His grace, patience, 
peace, and joy, in life and death! Amen.'' 



Theophane Venard 87 

These letters were dated the 7th of October. Two 
days after, the voyagers left the port of Plymouth, 
and no news was received of them till the April fol- 
lowing, when a letter arrived from Singapore, dated 
February. Theophane wrote a long and detailed ac- 
count of the passage, but as all long voyages resemble 
one another, we will confine our extracts to a few 
personal details: 

"We are entering the harbor," wrote Theophane 
from Singapore. *'So I will prepare my home letters, 
and I am glad to do so on New Year's day. This 
morning my first thought after God was for you all. 
On the 10th of October, Sunday evening, we left 
Plymouth. Another Belgian vessel, the 'Atalanta,' 
left the port at the same time, with a hundred and 
sixty passengers who were going to the gold-fields. 
What a poor object! You may believe that not for 
all the gold in Australia or California would I have 
left you all ! Our vessel is a very fast sailer, and our 
captain a model of all virtues, religious from con- 
viction, speaking little but always to the point; he 
has his ship in perfect order, and is immensely 
popular with his men; his courtesy and kindness to 
us could not be exceeded. The days are long and 
monotonous on board ship ; the sight of a few strange 
birds, one or two swallows, flying-fish, and porpoises, 
with a shark here and there, these are the only events 
in a long voyage. The sea, I confess, wearies me to 
death. It is certainly fine to see great waves rolling 
one over another, but I should prefer seeing it from 
terra firma. We had the unspeakable consolation of 
daily Mass for the first month and a half; but after- 
wards our altar-breads got spoiled. How I have 
longed for the possibility of paying a visit to the 



88 A Modern Martyr 

Blessed Sacrament, or of assisting once more at some 
Catholic ceremony! When the body is deprived of 
food, it languishes and dies; and it is the same with 
the soul, without the Bread which sustains its life. . . . 
Time and again I found myself dreaming on deck, 
leaning against the bulwarks, and looking back on 
my past life — ^my happy childhood, my darling mother, 
my father's sacrifices, my education, our joyous home- 
gatherings, my life at school and at college. . . . And 
now here I am, in the hands of Providence, full of 
thankfulness for past mercies and blessings, full of 
hope for the future. My dear father, in your last 
letter, consenting to my departure, you encouraged 
me by saying, The hand of God is everywhere.' 
This shall henceforth be my motto. The hand of God 
is everywhere; therefore it will be everywhere with 
me. . . . On our arrival at Singapore we heard, 
without much astonishment, of the proclamation of 
the empire. God grant peace to our dear France! 
In this country it seems to me that gold is the supreme 
god. New mines are daily discovered; but I never 
heard that men found in them peace or happiness. It 
is charity alone which is pure gold, gold tried in the 
furnace; the rest is but false money." 

Our missioners were still at Singapore, when there 
arrived several young Cochin-Chinese students who 
had been sent by Bishop Gaultier to the College of 
Penang. The sight of them made Theophane's heart 
beat more quickly than ever, and he wrote to Father 
Dallet,-- 

''Every evening these young men pray together in 
their own language, and we put our ears to the cracks 
of the door to hear them. Their singing is so sweet ! 
Such plaintive, touching tones! And shall I tell you 
all? They are real heroes that we have next to us, 



Theophane Venard 89 

men on whose heads a price has been put for leaving 
their country. They are the sons, the brothers of 
martyrs, and they come from Annam, the land of 
martyrdoms/' 

After spending three weeks at Singapore, Father 
Venard and two of his companions started for Hong- 
Kong. The rest remained a few days longer, till 
a favorable opportunity presented itself for going to 
their respective destinations. Before leaving Singa- 
pore, Theophane wrote a few lines to the great friend 
and companion of his boyhood, a young lady living 
near his old home: — 

*T like to think that you remember our old walks on 
the hillside, and the pleasant readings we used to have 
together. I assure you I have a faithful memory and 
I never can think of those happy days without emo- 
tion. All my friends have a place in my heart and 
the thought of them often brings tears to my eyes, — 
not that I regret what I have done, for it seems to me 
that I simply followed the inspiration of God's grace, 
but because this separation from those so dear to me 
cannot take place without a terrible wrench, and when 
the wound is reopened it bleeds. 

"You tell me that you are full of troubles and 
trials. I can well believe it ; and I ask of God to give 
you strength and grace to bear them. You know 
how deeply interested I am in everything that concerns 
you. Ah, one must own that life on this earth is a 
poor thing at best; there is scarcely a day without a 
cloud! Sorrow and suffering are found everywhere; 
they are the daily bread of each of us. The thing is 
to know how to use them. Happy those who know 
how to turn them to advantage! Such souls will be 



90 A Modern Martyr 

amply recompensed hereafter. I always look upon 
these miseries as a kind of money with which to buy 
Heaven; but then this money must bear the image of 
Jesus Christ, just as our ordinary coinage bears the 
superscription of the king or queen of the country 
where it is struck. Courage, then, courage! Our 
King loves you and calls you to Himself by His own 
way, the royal road of the Cross. Try to love it for 
His sake, and to follow Him gladly, when and where 
He calls you. When we shall meet each other again 
in the place where we all hope to be reunited, you will 
be righ in glory, for you have been rich in sorrows 
and in merits !'' 



Theophane Venard 91 



CHAPTER VIII. 

In Hong-Kong — Final Preparation, 

From Singapore our missioner proceeded to Hong- 
Kong, where he arrived after a long and tedious pas- 
sage on board an English sailing-ship. The joy he ex- 
perienced on landing made him exclaim, "I feel all the 
more keenly how great a rest it will be to quit this 
stormy sea of the world, and to repose in our good 
God!" He was a little disappointed not to find at 
Hong-Kong the letters which were to fix his future 
destination; but he consoled himself with the thought 
that he was not yet fit for the heavy charge of the 
apostolate. A still greater disappointment arose from 
finding no letters from home — ^not even one from his 
sister! He felt this keenly and his loneliness pressed 
upon him heavily for the first few weeks. When ti- 
dings from his family at length arrived, he broke into 
a song of joy to his father, as follows: — 

"Oh, your letters did me so much good! I love 
them as one loves the dew after great heats, as the 
traveller in the desert rejoices at the green oasis 
where he and his camels can rest and find shade and 
water. For we poor missioners live, as it were, in a 
desert, and that always. When we get news of our 
loved ones at home, of our country, of our friends, 
how happy it makes us! I feel a thousand times 
stronger when I have read and re-read your dear 
letters, for your sympathy fortifies and encourages 



92 A Modern Mart3rr 

me. I no longer feel alone in my sacrifice ; others 
share in it and live, as it were, with me in thought and 
heart. God be praised for the home-love in which I 
have been cradled and for the dear friends He has 
given me ! I am as a branch of a tree, and no longer 
dried up by being separated from the parent stem, 
for the same loving sap runs through us all. God is 
surely ver}^ good to our human hearts, which He has 
formed, and of w^hich He knows the yearnings and 
the weaknesses; and then He is the same in China 
as in France, and what do we want beside Him on 
earth or in Heaven !" 

Fr. Venard stayed fifteen months at Hong-Kong. 
During this time he devoted himself to learning the 
Chinese language, in itself a most arduous and weari- 
some task, for the different dialects are innumerable, 
and though he put his whole heart into it, yet his 
health, which was affected by the great heat, often 
prevented his studying. When this was the case he 
used to take long walks by the seashore or in the 
mountains, trying to become acquainted with the 
people and their habits ; and although their hypocrisy 
and vanity often disgusted him, still the modesty of 
the women, and their careful decency in dress and 
manner, often contrasted favorably with the customs 
of his own country^vomen. What drove him almost 
to despair was the bad example given to the natives 
by Europeans calling themselves Christians, who, as 
he expressed it, "wherever they went, spoiled God's 
work." But his special indignation was aroused by 
the conduct of the English engaged in the opium 
trade. He whites to his sister, — 

"This opium is a substance extracted from the 



Theophane Venard 93 

poppy and is smoked like tobacco. The result is a 
positive destruction of all the faculties of mind and 
body, ending in complete stupefaction. The Chinese 
have a passion for this pernicious drug, and the Eng- 
lish an equal anxiety to supply them with it; they 
bring it from Hindustan. In spite of treaties and 
protestations, the sums acquired in this contraband 
traffic are enormous, and the trade is a thorough 
disgrace to the English nation. If the devil had tried 
to invent something to ruin men, body and soul, he 
could not have hit on anything more effectual. I wish 
we could have an association of prayers to try to put 
down this infamous traffic.'^ 

Writing to Father Dallet about the Chinese insur- 
rection, he says, "Nothing can be more terrible at 
this moment than the state of China. But the melan- 
choly thing is that European agents are at the bottom 
of it, and vainly expect, by coquetting with the rebels, 
to promote a Protestant movement among the people. 
Never was there such a delusion! . . . The worst of 
it is that it all adds to the hatred of the Chinese 
toward strangers ; so that when the Emperor succeeds 
in defeating the rebels, which is inevitable, his ven- 
geance will fall on the Europeans, and especially on 
the missioners. . . . You ask me, 'What are the 
rebels about?' Nobody knows. The French and the 
English papers write long articles, and give their 
readers astounding intelligence of battles fought and 
won, and develop grand theories as to the future of 
the Chinese Empire; but they are all the dreams of 
editors. Every one laughs at them here, for there 
is not a word of truth in their statements ; and as to 
the marvellous changes which this rebellion is to 
bring about, I think they will find that the mountain 
has brought forth a mouse! They talk, too, of the 



94 A Modern Martyr 

energetic representations made by the French and the 
English ministers in favor of Christianity; all this is 
pure invention. The spirit of Constantine and of St. 
Louis is far from being that of modern governments, 
which have all become more or less atheistical under 
the influence of Protestant, rationalistic, and infidel 
doctrines ; expediency is their watchword. As for us, 
in God alone is our hope and succor. Let us pray, 
then, more and more fervently for the conversion of 
the infidels." 

The numbers of letters which we find written by 
Theophane to his old friend. Father Dallet, prove that 
their affection had not been cooled by distance or 
separation. We give an extract from one written on 
the 26th of September, 1853 : — 

"You ask me, dear old friend, if you live as much 
as ever in my remembrance. Oh yes, quite as much ! 
I love you with a special and devoted attachment, and 
you must not be scandalized at it. It is surely allow- 
able to have a warm, particular friendship, especially 
when one is so far away from its object, and the 
community will not be the sufferers. I have a full be- 
lief and confidence that God does not disapprove of it; 
for it is in Him and for Him that our hearts have 
been united. It is not the evil which is in us that 
unites us in this tender bond of love, but our higher 
and better aspirations. Let us, then, be forever one, 
my dearest brother, united in the same work, devoted 
to the same cause, humble disciples of the same 
Master. . . . Our feet toil painfully here on earth, 
but our thoughts soar above. . . . My bishop wrote 
to me, just before I left Paris, 'I pray for you to our 
dear Lord, that your devotion may daily become more 



Theophane Venard 95 

perfect, that your holocaust may be complete, and 
that having embarked in so great a work, you may 
persevere in it after the manner of the saints. Do not 
be an Apostle by halves, my dear child/ . . . Now I 
have these words always before me, and they give me 
courage and strength; and I have copied them for 
you that you may use them too. ... I have been 
laughing at the idea of your beard, of which you 
fancy I shall be envious; but I assure you my 
moustache is quite enough for me. . . . Dearest 
friend, I am afraid you are very much tried in your 
present mission. If I were only by your side to grasp 
your hand and share all your troubles, as of old! I 
know you so well that I feel the more for your 
peculiar trials. But it is always the same; the gold 
must pass through the furnace. God will prove and 
try you, and having fed you with milk, He is now 
weaning you for stronger and greater things. Don't 
let us be 'Apostles by halves!' It's a great thing to 
be a missioner! Our duties are without limit, and 
imply perfection, if possible. All the miseries you 
picture to me I feel and see vividly, and my heart 
bleeds for you. I feel that my own soul is strengthened 
by suffering, and that from one's very wounds arise 
greater vigor, firmness, and courage. You tell me of 
all these sad things, but you add, *Happy are those 
who can keep themselves apart, and live in the still 
silence of their own hearts with God.' May God 
pour into your wounds the wine and oil which alone 
can heal them, and make you taste the sweetness as 
well as the bitterness of His cross ! . . . Well, I must 
stop. My heart could go on forever to you, but my 
head and hand are tired. I repeat constantly for us 
both my favorite little ejaculation 'Jesu, mitis et 



96 A Modern Martyr 

humilis corde, miserere nobis!'"^ In fact, I say these 
words so constantly to myself that they have become 
a habit. I hear you exclaim, 'Ah, he is going to preach 
again!' No, for once you are wrong. I am not going 
to give you any more bad advice but try to become 
more humble and amiable myself. God bless you, 
dearest friend and brother." 

Theophane had many warm college friends besides 
Father Dallet ; and among these we must mention the 
'Abbe Theurel, afterwards Bishop of Acanthus. These 
links were never broken till the end, for Theophane 
looked upon them, ''as given by God, that each soul 
might be helped upwards by mutual love in the heav- 
enly race." After some weeks spent at Hong-Kong, 
Fr. Theurel left for Tong-king, leaving Theophane to 
follow him later. This separation with the last of his 
fellow-travellers w^as very trying to our missioner, 
who consoled himself by writing certain stanzas in 
honor of his friend. He always had a great taste 
and talent for poetry, and often used to say that he 
had to guard himself, like Father Faber, lest it should 
absorb him too much. Other friends from the Paris 
Seminary soon joined him, among whom was Father 
Chapdelaine, who was much older than Theophane, 
being about forty. Theophane describes Fr. Chap- 
delaine as "a Norman, with an iron constitution, 
frank, gay, and loyal in character, a capital companion, 
and above all, a holy and courageous missioner." 
Writing to Fr. Dallet, he adds, "Father Chapdelaine 
(who sends you his best love, by the by) is only 
waiting till his little lodging is prepared, to start. He 
is the healthiest, the most active, and the jolliest of 
us all; and Father Bariod might well say on his 

*Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us. 




FR. PROSPER DELPECH, 

Director at the Paris Seminary for Foreign Missions. 
(A former classmate of Theophane \^enard.) 



Theophane Venard 97 

birthday that he had 'the rosiness of perpetual 
youth."' After a few years of arduous toil in the 
mission of Kwang-si, this joyous, ardent spirit received 
in 1856 the crown of martyrdom ! But wc are antici- 
pating. 

Near the town oi Hong-Kong a college had 
been established for the Canton mission, under the 
patronage of St. Francis Xavier. Fr. Guillemin was 
the head of this college, and he asked Fr. Venard to 
come and teach Philosophy to the students who had 
made their first studies at Penang, another missionary 
college. Theophane gladly accepted, delighted to find 
some definite work during this time of weary waiting, 
and especially to be under the direction of a man 
whom everyone looked upon as a saint. A few years 
later this same Fr. Guillemin came to Europe, was 
consecrated Bishop at Rome, and then paid a visit to 
France, bringing with him a young Chinese who had 
been Theophane's pupil. Eusebius Venard was at 
that time in the Seminary and describes Bishop Guil- 
lemin's visit to Poitiers as follows : — 

*'It was on the 30th of January, 1857, that Bishop 
Guillemin came to the Seminary to talk to us about 
his mission. The first day I could not get a private 
conversation with him, but I made acquaintance with 
Benedict, his Chinese companion, and began talking 
to him about Theophane. The moment I mentioned 
his name, Benedict's face lit up with joy, and one 
could see that the name awoke in him the fondest 
recollections; from that moment we became like 
brothers. The next day I was presented to the Bishop ; 
he looked at me attentively, and seeing in me a like- 
ness to my brother, exclaimed, 'Oh, my dear Abbe! 
my good Abbe!' and was much moved. Then he 
7 



98 A Modern Mart5rr 

began to talk of Theophane, of his zeal and devotion, 
of his bright, gay. frank manner, of his distinguished 
talents, of the way he was beloved, and of his 
ingenious charity and kindness towards everyone. He 
added, *When I was made superior of the Canton 
mission, all the students, v, ith Theophane at their head, 
came to congratulate me, and to recite some verses 
which he had composed in my honor. He had even 
made a mitre and crozier of bamboo, with a playful 
allusion to their being a prrchecv of v.ha: they most 
wished. — a dignity to which, unhac^i'y ::r i::y poor 
self, I have now arrived. But this cheerful, bright dis- 
position of his was of immense use to n:e in "'':'" :^ing 
the college. The students idolized Fa:i:e: Z. _ ,ne, 
and he kept up an admirable spirit among them, 
which enabled them to make light of ever}' hardship 
and dimculty. He went with me one day up a high 
moimtain, from v/hich he could see vrhat he called 
his ''Promised Land." Never did I see him so joyous. 
Ah, your brother is indeed a perfect missioner and I 
have done nothing but regret his departure for Tong- 
king. for I loved him ven.' much, and he belonged to 
me first of all!' He then gave me many little details 
of his daily life, too long to write, but all showing 
his deep affection for my brother, and his thorough 
appreciation of his merits.'' 

It was in the month of February, 1S54, that Father 
Venard received his orders for the Western district 
of Tong-king. He wrote at once to express his joy 
to Fr. Barran, Superior of the Foreign Mission 
Seminar}' at Paris. 

''^^'ERY RE^^ Father Superior, — Tong-king for 
China. I shall not lose much by the exchange! I 
should have liked anv mission which was awarded 



Theophane Venard 99 

me; but that of Tong-king, under the care of Bishop 
Retord, so full of holy associations and blessed recol- 
lections, oh, this is indeed the post I should most 
ardently have coveted ! I love it as being the heritage 
which the great Father has awarded to me. I love it 
because it is the grandest mission of all, ^the Diamond 
of Asia,' as a poet has called it. When I was at Paris, 
and so unhappy at being left behind, when my brothers 
had all been sent to their respective destinations, Fr. 
Albrand, to console me, said, 'Do not be cast down, 
this is not a case of tarde venientibus ossa!''\—l like 
to think of this, and I beg of you to express my 
gratitude to that dear, good Father for all his kindness 
towards me." 

Theophane wrote also to his family. "Well, my 
dear people, I am going to Tong-king. There the 
venerable Charles Cornay died a martyr. I do not 
say that the same fate is reserved for me ; but if you 
will only pray ardently, perhaps Gk)d may grant me a 
like grace. ... I am not going to China, which I have 
seen as Moses savv^ the promised land; but I must 
guide my boat to another shore, a shore on which Frs. 
Schoeffler and Bonnard (one on the 1st of May, 1851, 
the other on the 1st of May, 1852) obtained the 
martyr's palm.* It is in the Annamite country, which 
includes Tong-king and Cochin-China, where the spirit 
of persecution is most active. A price is put on the 
head of each missioner, and when one is found, they 
put him to death without hesitation. But God knows 
His own, and only to those whom He chooses is the 
grace of martyrdom given. One is taken and the 

t Bones to the late comers. 

* Fathers Cornay, Schoeffler and Bonnard were all former students 
of the Paris Mission Seminary. Frs. SchoeflFler and Bonnard were 
decapitated ; Fr. Cornay was not only decapitated but dismembered. 



100 A Modern Martyr 

other left; and there as everywhere His Holy Will is 
done. In spite of the violence and the universality of 
the persecution there, the missions are the most flour- 
ishing. 'Sanguis martyrum semen Christianorumf'\ 
We run the risk likewise of being cut off by pirates in 
the passage from Hong-Kong to Tong-king; but that 
must be as God permits. . . . This mission, to which 
I am appointed, is indeed a great one, — in its organiza- 
tion and in the number and fervor of its converts, who 
amount to upwards of 150,000 souls; greater still in 
its hopes ; in its native clergy, who number 80 priests, 
and 1200 catechists; in its religious communities, for 
there are upwards of 600 Sisters; in its seminaries, 
with more than 300 students; in its chief pastor, of 
whom the highest praise that can be given is, that 
since his episcopate, he has added 40,000 sheep to his 
fold. Is not that a noble escort with which to mount 
to Heaven? a beautiful crown for all eternity? I 
cannot tell you with what impatience I am looking 
forward to being under so holy a bishop, to be initiated 
by him into the apostolic ministry, to be trained in his 
school, and to march, as a simple soldier, under the 
orders of so great a general. There are already six 
missioners under him from the Foreign Mission 
Seminary. May I make a worthy seventh! And 
then think of the martyrs, — ^those real glories of Tong- 
king, those immortal flowers gathered by our Lord's 
own hand in the garden of His predilection. These 
martyrs are the patrons and protectors of the mission ; 
their blood, shed in the great cause, is always pleading 
for us before God, and the remembrance of their 
triumph gives fresh courage to those who are still in 
the strife. Only think what an honor and what a 

tThe blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians. 



Theophane Venard 101 

happiness it would be for your poor Theophane, if 
God deigned, . . . you understand. 'Te Deum lauda- 

mus Te martyrum candidatus laudat exer- 

citus'/'f 

He wrote also to his old friend, Father Dallet ; and 
as if martyrdom was the great object of his life, he 
exclaimed, "Only a few years ago Frs. Galy and 
Berneux were seized on their arrival at Tong-king; 
if the same good luck could only befall us ! Oh, dear 
old friend, every time the thought of martyrdom 
comes across me, I thrill with joy and hope! But 
then this better part is not given to all. I dare not 
aspire to so brilliant a crown, but I cannot help 
feeling a longing and sighing for such a grace. 
^Domine qui dixisti: majorem charitatem nemo habet 
uf animam suam ponat quis pro amicis suis.'X You do 
not forget our mutual prayer. It has for me an 
inexpressible charm: ^Sancta Maria, Regina Mar- 
tyrum, or a pro nobis I'f'f Pray, pray for your poor 
little friend, who never forgets you, no, not for a 
single day!" 

To his brother Henry he wrote, "How well I 
understand what you meant when you said, 'Eusebius 
has arrived fresh and well, so that we are almost a 
complete family party.' And I, poor little I, on the 
contrary, am going farther and farther away ! Ah ! I 
assure you my thoughts travel back to St. Loup very, 
very often, and the tears come into my eyes when I 
think of you all and our happy home, and all the joys 
of my childhood and youth. Never since my departure 
have I known family happiness and real love; such 



tWe praise Thee, O God. The white-robed army of martyrs gives 

praise to Thee. 

to Lord, Thou who hast said, ** Greater love than this no man hath, 

that he lay down his life for his friends.** 

tfHoly Mary, Queen of Martyrs, pray for us. 



102 A Modern Martyr 

things are not to be met with every day! But I 
expected it. I felt that it was inevitable. All I can 
hope is, that after the wound will come the healing. 
Every age, every position has its cares, its pains, and 
its bitternesses. Nothing except what comes from 
God is good here below; but we have much to thank 
Him for, and especially for the grace which makes us 
His friends. . . . Do not think of me as sad; on the 
contrary, I am very happy and bright; when one is 
working and living for God, one's heart is at ease. 
And you, you say, are all day scribbling on musty 
papers. Well, office life has its charms for some. For 
me, had I not chosen a different path, I should have 
preferred to work in the fresh air. The day's 
shooting you tell me of brought back such pleasant 
recollections of the good old times. I could have 
fancied myself there ! At Tong-king I wonder what 
I shall find. Not much game, I fancy. Well, one 
finds our good God everywhere, and He is our 
happiness and our joy. There is no use in being 
sad, so that in the midst of discouragement and 
disgust, and every kind of mental suffering, one must 
try to take one's heart in both hands, and force it to 
cry out, 'Welcome joy all the same!' The soul finds 
itself in such a different state at different times ; some 
days, gay and calm, and at ease; other days, sad and 
weary, and broken-hearted. This is the case with 
everybody who is not a phenomenon. I believe it is 
the struggle between the upper and the lower parts 
of our nature. When our better half triumphs, we 
are at peace; but when we let ourselves go, and 
yield to our natural inclinations, then comes a state of 
disorder, of anxiety, of longing after the impossible, 
of dissatisfaction with our lot and with the position 
in which God has seen fit to place us. This state 



Theophane Venard 103 

of mind must be vigorously resisted, for it obscures 
our judgment and falsifies our ideas. Now there are 
certain things which strengthen the ascendency of evil 
thoughts in us, and these are bad companions, bad 
books, a forgetfulness of daily duties, and consequent 
vicious habits. But of all these, bad books are the 
worst. They are the plague of the present day. A 
book is bad not only when it contains impure and 
immoral thoughts, but when it gives false ideas, pre- 
tending to judge of everything, to ridicule everything 
sacred or venerable. Such books are all the worse 
when they are beautifully written, as they often are; 
they vitiate the taste and give a disgust for all healthy 
food.' I knew a young man in the navy whose mind 
had been completely poisoned by this kind of reading ; 
and when he came to realize the evil of it, you cannot 
imagine how he expressed himself to me about these 
pernicious books. My dearest brother, forgive me for 
saying all this; but I know your passion for reading, 
and all I venture to say is, do not play with poison." 
To his favorite sister he added a few words of 
farewell. She had told him that having, for fun, 
drawn lots at Christmas as to who should represent 
the different personages at the Nativity, she had 
drawn the name of "Mary ;" but Theophane's lot had 
fallen on that of the ass. In reply, Theophane says 
gaily, "I am very much pleased at the portion awarded 
me in your drawing. I am to be the ass. Very well. 
I won't accuse you of a little bit of mischief in the 
matter, but accept my part. The ass knows how to 
bray; that is to teach me to be a good trumpeter of 
the Gospel. The ass receives blows without com- 
plaint: may his patience be my model. Again, the 
poor animal is treated with scorn and derision, his 
very name is the reverse of a compliment; but he 



104 A Modern Martyr 

goes on his way just the same. Well, like him, I 
must disregard human opinion, cultivate humility, bear 
to be despised, and follow my Lord and Master every- 
where, always, and in spite of all. As for you, my 
darling little sister, you have indeed chosen the 
better part. Guard it carefully. It is a life of recol- 
lection, of union with God. I fancy your sitting like 
Mary at Bethany, at the feet of Jesus, listening to 
His Word, — gentle, attentive, loving, and caring 
nothing for the world outside. Your life must be not 
only the active one of Martha, but the contemplative 
one of Mary, for both were united in the Mother of 
our dear Lord. The true science of piety, in fact, 
consists in reconciling these two. I know you love 
best to be Mary, but when duty compels you to act as 
Martha did, do not be only Martha, full of anxiety, 
and 'careful about much serving/ Do the works of 
Martha with the spirit of Mary; let the interior life 
leaven the exterior, conforming your will to the Will 
of Jesus. Dearest sister, imitate Jesus, imitate His 
holy Mother, and you will be indeed perfect.'' 



Theophane Venard 105 



CHAPTER IX. 

Arrival at Tong-king. 

On the 26th of May, 1854, Theophane Venard, 
with an older missioner who was returning to Tong- 
king, said good-bye to Hong-Kong, and as the wind 
was favorable, a few hours' sail brought them to 
Macao, where they were most kindly and hospitably 
entertained by the Spanish Dominicans. Fr. Venard, 
speaking of this town, says, "When the Portuguese 
were masters of the sea, Macao was an important 
place. Ships of all nations were anchored in its 
harbor, and it was the centre and emporium of all the 
European commerce with China. The numberless 
missioners who have watered the Chinese soil with 
their blood all started from Macao, whence they 
spread themselves to the remotest confines of this 
great empire. Portugal had a noble mission assigned 
to her by Providence, but she misunderstood and 
rejected it. This brought her downfall, and it seemed 
as if God had broken her as one breaks a useless or 
worn-out instrument. The kings of the earth have 
never gained anything in their strifes with the Church 
of Jesus Christ and against His vicar on earth, and 
their victory is magnificently rendered in the Psalms, 
'Et nunc, reges, intelligite; erudimini qui judicatis 
terram.'t Macao is indeed a ruin. There is a gov- 

tAnd now, ye kings, understand; learn, ye who judge the earth. 



106 A Modern Martyr 

ernor, it is true; but he has no longer any prestige. 
Soldiers still mount guard but their number is mis- 
erably small, and no one has any money to pay them. 
There are fine houses, but those which are not shut 
up are occupied by English or Americans. A rich 
Portuguese scarcely exists; but the poor actually 
swarm. The Chinese alone still maintain some kind 
of trade. Hong-Kong gave the death blow to Macao. 
There are a few curious things to be seen in the old 
colony, among them the tomb of Camoens, buried be- 
tween two rocks in the midst of the most beautiful 
scenery, just such as one might imagine should be the 
grave of a poet. This tomb forms the principal orna- 
ment of a garden, which, unfortunately, is poorly kept. 
It is a place much frequented by strangers, and some 
of them have had the bad taste to cut their names in 
the rock; others (among whom, I am sorry to say, are 
some French sailors) have written stupid and even 
indecent rhymes on the slab above." 

On the 2nd of June our two missioners left Macao, 
and we read the following account of their journey 
in the letters of Theophane to his family : — 

"TONG-KING, 

The Eve of St, John, June 23, 1854. 
My dearest Brothers, — To you I am going to 
write my first Tong-king letter. I arrived safe and 
sound at the mission of the Spanish Dominican 
Fathers, and I write now to give you some details of 
our voyage. Fr. Legrand and I embarked at ]\Iacao 
on the 2nd of June, towards evening. We thought 
our Chinese captain would weigh anchor immediately. 
Not a bit of it. A Chinaman will never do anything 
directly. They had to deliberate as to the voyage, 



Theophane Venard 107 

consult the Devil, take precautions against pirates, etc. 
We were to sail in company with other Chinese junks; 
but the Chinese mistrust one another, and before 
making an actual start, they feign to go several times, 
to see if the other ships are ready and trustworthy. 
There we were, two poor European missioners, among 
a people who don't admire anything from Europe, 
and who are always ready to insult those who do not 
inspire them with fear. We were thrust into a little 
hole where we could only sit or lie down, breathing 
foul air, and covered with vermin. Here we had to 
stay day and night, for if we attempted to leave it 
the Chinese called us 'Foreign Devils,' and amused 
themselves by examining all we had on, and all that 
we did. If the departure was delayed, if the wind 
blew, if we were threatened by pirates, it was we who 
were to blame. It was impossible to please them. If 
we tried to be kind or familiar with them, they insulted 
us ; if we talked little, and maintained a certain gravity 
and reserve, we were cold and haughty. The only 
source of strength and consolation to the missioner in 
these miseries is the cross. He thus passes over many 
things which would otherwise irritate and wound; so 
we can maintain a certain equanimity, a necessary 
virtue in the East, though sometimes rather difficult to 
attain. But the courier is waiting. . . . We set sail 
at last, in company with seventy vessels, whose 
skippers, after parleying, had come to an understanding 
with our captain; they were obliged to make a for- 
midable appearance in numbers so as to intimidate 
the pirates. We caught sight of six of the latter's 
vessels in a place called Tin-Pac, and being well armed, 
we fired upon them with the small cannon in our 
bows ; they retreated, and we made all sail towards 
Hai-Nan, a large island, where we remained several 



108 A Modern Martyr 

days, anchoring under a town which is said to contain 
two hundred thousand inhabitants. We did not dare 
to land, or in fact, to show ourselves in any way. One 
of our missioners from the diocese of Poitiers, Fr. 
Bisch, is working here, but we could only salute him 
with our hearts. On leaving Hai-Nan, the Chinese 
junks separated, only a small number steering for 
Tong-king. Until then the sea had been calm and 
beautiful; afterwards it became windy, and I paid my 
usual tribute to the fishes. . . . Two days later we 
sighted the shores of Tong-king. I cannot tell you 
my feeling as we neared the place of disembarkation. 
I offered myself again to God, begging Him to dispose 
of me for His glory and honor, and I invoked my 
Mother Mary, and my guardian angel, and the Patron 
Saints of Tong-king. . . . The general view of the 
country is magnificent, — rich plains, with grassy hills, 
a luxuriant vegetation, such as one reads of in 
Robinson Crusoe, and the whole backed by a superb 
range of snowy mountains. We entered the harbor by 
the mouth of a beautiful river which glided through 
woods and gardens till we cast anchor at a place called 
Cua Cam, which is the centre of the contraband 
Chinese trade. We were no longer allowed to see 
the light of day, and even at night we dared to breathe 
the fresh air on deck only with very great precautions. 
This state of things lasted (fortunately for us) not 
more than forty-eight hours. The mandarin of the 
Custom House came to inspect our vessel. We could 
see this august personage through the cracks of our 
prison, while we scarcely ventured to breathe and most 
carefully abstained from all noise or movement; but 
the old fox returned to the shore without having 
scented the nest. The next day a Christian boat came 
for us, for nearly all the inhabitants of Cua Cam are 



Theophane Venard 1(T9 

Christians. There was a misunderstanding between 
our Christians and the crew ; but the Christian rowers, 
seeing that we were not afraid, took courage and 
managed to bring us in a few hours to the flourishing 
Mission House of the Spanish Dominicans. Bishop 
Hilarion Alcazar received us in his episcopal palace 
(which, you must understand, is in these countries a 
simple hut or cabin), and treated us with that generous 
and delicate hospitality which makes one think of the 
early Christians. He has insisted on my resting here 
a few days to recover from the effects of the late 
voyage, and I am enjoying that ineffable peace and 
joy which seems to me especially sent by our Lord to 
His missioners." 

Fr. Venard continues his recital to his sister a few 
weeks later as follows: — 

"Western Mission, Tong-king, 
Vinh'Tri July 31, 1854. 
My dearest Sister, — ^You have doubtless read my 
letter to Henry and Eusebius, describing our voyage 
from Macao to Tong-king; we heard afterwards 
that if we had delayed our landing for a few hours 
only, the news of our death would have followed that 
of our arrival; for three royal ships, having heard a 
rumor of our coming, surrounded the Chinese junk 
in which we had taken our passage, and examined her 
minutely in every part, as well as other vessels, so that 
no escape would have been possible. But God pre- 
served us, and at that very moment we were enjoying 
the refined hospitality of Bishop Alcazar. We stayed 
there eight days but I was ill all the time. An Anna- 
mite doctor gave me some kind of tonic which enabled 
me at last to continue my journey. You will wonder 



110 A Modern Martyr 

at hearing me talk of doctors and medicines, as } ou 
probably imagine that I am in a country of savages. 
But you must know that the civilization of the Anna- 
mites equals, if it does not surpass in some points, 
that of Europe; and they possess physicians of 
undeniable skill and very high reputations in the 
country. The one who attended me could tell at once 
by the pulse the nature of my malady and said that it 
arose from derangement of the liver. From Bishop 
Alcazar's we went on to Bishop Hermozilla, a vener- 
able man, like an ancient column standing amidst the 
ruins. Nothing can equal the simplicity and piety of 
this good old bishop. One day, while we w^ere there, 
the heads of the mission came to him with a complaint 
that the peasants had not paid up what they call 'the 
rice of the Blessed Virgin,' a species of tithe for the 
maintenance of the altars, levied on the congregations, 
and put under Our Lady's protection. The bishop 
took the side of the poor, as the rice harvest that 
month had failed, and he finally gained their cause. 
We stayed only two days at this episcopal palace. 
Don't let the name mislead you. A bishop's residence 
here means a poor cabin, half wood and half mud, 
thatched with straw. The houses are all of the same 
kind and it is easy to get used to them, for the 
climate is very hot. All one needs is protection from 
the sun and the rain. 

'The churches are not more beautiful. A straw 
roof, sustained by wooden pillars, which are hung 
with silk on festivals, that is all our splendor. A 
few rough boards form the altar. If the Annamite 
Church enjoyed any kind of peace, even for a time, 
more sumptuous temples would be built. But now it 
is not worth while to construct an}i:hing but temporary 
buildings, which may be removed at the breaking out 



Theophane Venard 111 

of any fresh persecution. After a few days we started 
for the Central Vicariate of the Spanish Fathers. We 
were to have gone by water, but the wind was against 
us. So we had to be transported in hammocks, 
according to the custom of the country, and in this 
way to traverse many pagan villages. Once we passed 
near a great market or fair which was being held on 
the roadside. We were just in the middle of this 
fair, when we came upon the house of a mandarin, 
the great man of the place. Now it is a rule that all 
travellers, unless of superior rank, shall go on foot 
before these residences, to testify their respect. We 
did not dare to conform to this usage and thereby 
show ourselves to the crowd. Our bearers quickened 
their pace to a trot. Presently came the cry after us, 
*Who are those men that do not get down from their 
nets ?' The catechist, at the head of our escort, replied 
that we were 'sick people of his household.' *At 
least let them lower their nets,' replied the sentinel. 
The bearers were compelled to obey. Fr. Legrand, 
who knows the language, was in a blue fright. I, on 
the contrary, who did not in the least understand 
our danger, thought that we were supposed to get 
out, and with joy began to stretch my legs. The 
bearers, luckily, did not give me time, but hurriedly 
raised us again and trotted on. If the pagans had 
paid us a visit what a prize they would have found! 
We soon came to the river and found several 
Christian junks, into one of which we gladly stepped, 
our rowers conveying us safely to the hut of Bishop 
Diaz, Vicar Apostolic of the Central Mission of Tong- 
king. Two couriers were waiting for us there, sent 
by Bishop Retord to escort us to our final destination. 
After a few days' rest we bade good-bye to their 
cordial, frank, and noble Spanish hospitality, and the 



112 A Modern Martyr 

last stage of our journey began, not less dangerous. 
We went in a junk by night, and had to pass a citadel 
guarded by four hundred soldiers, stationed there to 
protect a rice granary belonging to the king. When 
our boat was opposite the citadel, we were hailed and 
asked who we were. The owners of the junk replied 
that we were mandarins. The soldiers did not believe 
this, and very soon we heard a drum sound the 
alarm, and in a moment a vessel came after us in hot 
pursuit. Luckily, we had a favorable wind, and as we 
were some distance ahead, their boat could not reach 
us. A second junk was behind us, carrjang our 
baggage and attendants. This they attacked, but our 
men defended themselves bravely, so that they too 
escaped. This w^ill give you some idea, dearest sister, 
of the way in w'hich we travel in Tong-king. One 
goes generally by night, for greater security ; sometimes 
by water, on rivers or canals, with a continual change 
of boats; sometimes by land, like mighty lords, in 
palanquins, or on the backs of slaves in a species of 
net or hammock, with matting at the side which hides 
you from the passers-by. Sometimes one can go only 
on foot, without shoes, in the little narrow paths 
between the rice-fields. If it be daytime, one has a 
fair chance of escaping the difficulties of the road, but 
at night one must be content to w^alk *clumpity-clump,' 
falling into holes one moment, into rice-water the next, 
unable to find a firm footing anyw^here; and often, 
when you think you are going on swimmingly, your 
foot slips on the greasy, damp soil, and you measure 
your length in the mud. Now, don't you thmk this 
is a very picturesque way of travelling? I don't say 
that it is not a little fatiguing now and then, but I 
assure you it is very laughable at times and gives 
rise to a host of comical adventures. 



Theophane Venard 113 

"On the 13th of this month we arrived at the scene 
of our future labors, and I was introduced for the 
first time to my Vicar ApostoHc, the illustrious Bishop 
Retord, whose name you so often read in the 'Annals/ 
I found His Grace busy giving a retreat previous to 
an ordination. Bishop Jeantet, his coadjutor, and Dean 
of the Tong-king Mission, was helping him. Two 
other missioners had also arrived on business. We 
were therefore six Europeans together — two bishops 
and four missionary priests — b, rare event in Tong- 
king. . . . You can't think how happy I felt to be 
one of them; there was such frankness and sim- 
plicity — such goodness and condescension on the part 
of our superiors. Very soon we felt as if we had 
known one another all our lives, and we talked of 
every conceivable subject — France, Rome, the Russian 
war, etc. ; and before we separated, we sang together 
a whole heap of new and old songs and national 
hymns." 

Soon after he wrote to Fr. Dallet, — 

"Whom do you think I found here with Bishop 
Retord ? Who but my dearest friend, Fr. Theurel, to 
whom I had said good-bye with such bitter tears 
only one short year ago. What now of possibilities, 
eh! Father Dallet? Here I have been a month in 
all the delights of Tong-king, for I assure you there 
are great pleasures here. Theurel preaches, con- 
fesses, burns with desire for work; his health is 
as good as possible. Mine, perhaps, is not first-rate, 
but what is the use of complaining? You know the 
fable, 'Weak health often goes on longest.' So I 
8 



114 A Modern Martyr 

console myself. Courage! I am always repeating 
those maxims of St. Teresa's, — 

" 'Let nothing disturb thee ! 
Let nothing affright thee! 
!A11 passeth away; 

God only shall stay. 
Patience wins all; 
Who hath God needeth nothing, 
For God is his all.' 

" I forgot to tell you that all our worldly goods were 
pillaged by the pagans, so that we are destitute of 
everything; but what does that signify? He who has 
God lacks nothing. You will easily believe that my 
first visit was to the tomb of Fr. Bonnard. It is close 
to the altar of the College Chapel." 

If Fr. Venard was pleased to find his old friend at 
Tong-king, the joy to Fr. Theurel was equally great. 

"Who would ever have said, or thought, or imag- 
ined such good fortune ! " exclaimed the latter in a 
letter to their mutual friend, Father Dallet. "How- 
ever improbable it may seem, it is nevertheless a posi- 
tive fact, that here are Father Venard and I, together, 
in this western mission of Tong-king, actually in the 
same village, in the same house, in the same room ! 
To describe the pleasure, the joy it has given us ! . . . 
Yes, but then I feel as if you would break your heart 
at not being here too. Nevertheless, you must take 
comfort. Will you believe it ? Venard, who has been 
here only a month, already speaks the language with 
a perfect accent. I think his little voice is made for it. 
*A11 goes well.' I can only wish you the joy and 
peace of the poor little Tong-king missioners." 



Theophane Venard 115 

Theophane's happiness in being at last fairly em- 
barked on his work, and in the very mission he would 
have chosen above all others, found vent in an enthu- 
siastic poem. This outpouring of his heart was occu- 
pied with the three great objects of his life : work, the 
salvation of souls, and death. 



116 A Modern Martyr 



CHAPTER X. 
Persecutions in Tong-king. 

Of all missions those of Cochin-China, Korea, and 
Tong-king have been exposed to the cruellest perse- 
cutions. Tong-king, perhaps, deserves first rank, and 
young missioners have consequently looked upon it 
as the vestibule to Heaven. The cross has been the 
program of Tong-king missioners; for, from the 
first, their lives have been one long martyrdom, — ^pre- 
figured by a great cross found on the Annamite shore 
by a Dominican missioner, Diego Advarte, in 1596, 
before any European had entered the country. 

Jesuits were the founders of the mission, in the 
person of Father Alexander Rhodes, who died in 
1660. From them it passed into the hands of the 
Paris Foreign Mission Seminary, to whose priests it 
has always proved a land of special interest. In fact, 
from the martyrdom of the first missioner in 1684 
until the present day, the Church of Tong-king, always 
under the shadow of persecution, may be said to have 
grown with her head on the block, and her children's 
feet steeped in blood. 

Still, there have been moments of calm between the 
storms. The first great persecution was in the 
eighteenth century, and God avenged it by destroying 
its authors and depriving them of their thrones. The 
dynasties of Cochin-China and Tong-king were swept 



Theophane Venard 117 

off the face of the earth, and the rightful heir, re- 
placed by the hand of a Christian Bishop, resumed his 
sceptre when he had torn asunder the bloody edicts of 
the persecutors. Twenty years of peace under this 
Prince Gia-Long gave breathing time to the Annamite 
Church, and prepared it for the frightful persecu- 
tions of Minh-Menh, a monster in human form who 
rivalled Nero in his cruelties. The *' Annals" narrate 
the horrible persecution which broke out in 1833 and 
lasted till 1841. Frs. Gagelin, Marchand, Cornay, 
Jaccard, Borie, with a great number of Spanish 
Dominicans and native teachers, fell victims to this 
relentless tyrant. God did not leave him unpunished, 
however, for Minh-Menh was killed by a fall from his 
horse on the 21st of January, 1841, execrated equally 
by pagans and Christians. The new king, Thien-Tri, 
weary of the bloody edicts of his predecessor, passed 
an act of amnesty, annulling the penal laws. Unfor- 
tunately he died in 1848, and was succeeded by Tu- 
Duc. During the. reign of this prince, famine, cholera, 
typhus, and other plagues decimated his people; and 
although these trials enabled the Christians to show 
themselves in their true colors, and to repay their 
persecutors by acts of superhuman charity, still these 
calamities were looked on as the result of Divine 
vengeance upon the new sect; and the mandarins, 
working on the credulity of the people, fanned the 
flame of a new persecution, in which, among others, 
Frs. Schoeffler and Bonnard were sacrificed. A tem- 
porary peace followed, and during this time of com- 
parative security Theophane Venard arrived. 

Notwithstanding all the obstacles thrown in the way 
of preaching the Gospel; in spite of the small 
numbers of apostolic laborers and the insufficiency of 
their resources ; in spite of this furious persecution of 



118 A Modern Martyr 

Minh-Menh, which lasted twenty years, in no country 
had Christianity made such wonderful progress as in 
Tong-king. Bishop Retord wrote at this very time as 
follows : — 

"When I undertook to govern this mission, sixteen 
years ago, it did not contain more than a hundred 
thousand Christians. Now there are 140,000, al- 
though the cholera of 1851 carried off 10,000. All 
these converts, with very few exceptions, practise 
their religion in a way that would shame many Euro- 
peans. They are constant attendants at the Sacra- 
ments and most diligent in the performance of their 
religious duties. It is useless to add that they are all 
Catholics. Heretical ministers, with their wives and 
children, have never attempted to approach these in- 
hospitable and unhealthful shores, or to face a perse- 
cution which can end in only one way — ^martyrdom." 

Bishop Retord was only fifty years old when Theo- 
phane Venard arrived at Tong-king. He was still 
strong and vigorous, in spite of trials and sufferings. 
He had established a large seminary of native priests, 
which numbered upwards of seventy-five, all well in- 
structed and full of zeal for the conversion of their 
countrymen. The college, which he had erected close 
to his house, had more than two hundred students, 
divided into different classes, as in France; while 
various smaller schools had been established all over 
the diocese. When the students finished their college 
terms they passed an examination as catechists. Be- 
fore receiving his diploma, however, each must have 
converted at least ten pagans. The theologians were 
chosen from among the catechists, but were admitted 
to Holy Orders only after a long and rigorous trial. 



Theophane Venard 119 

The work of God prospered visibly in this land. In 
the year 1854 fifteen hundred more souls were added 
to the Christian ranks. Still the number of pagans 
was enormous, though crowded into a small area. 

But let us return to Theophane Venard. Before 
his arrival in Tong-king and during his passage, he 
had suffered from an attack of inflammation of the 
lungs, which seemed to get worse every day, in spite 
of the prescriptions of the Chinese physicians. His 
entire recovery can be attributed only to a direct 
Divine interposition. The account of it will be found 
in the following letter to his father, written in March, 
1855 :— 

"When I wrote to you last, my dearest father, I 
was with Bishop Retord, at his College of Vinh-Tri. 
At the end of August, the Bishop sent me to a college 
in the village of Ke-Doan to study the Annamite 
language, and associated with me two catechists, 
who could speak a little Latin. As I had to pass by 
Ke-non, where there is a seminary directed by Bishop 
Jeantet, Bishop Retord's coadjutor, I stayed there 
for eight days. Bishop Jeanet is sixty-three years 
old, and has been thirty-seven years in the mission. 
He is a most venerable man, kind and amiable. He 
was never tired asking me questions about France, 
that country so dear to the missioner's heart. I was 
also very much interested in the seminary, and stam- 
mered some words of Annamite which I had just 
learned. From here I left for the college at Lang- 
Doan. A month in such study as this went like 
lightning. On the second Sunday in October I ven- 
tured to preach a short sermon in the little church. 



130 A Modern Martyr 

The chiefs of the village came to congratulate me, 
not that they could understand much of my allocution, 
but being Annamites, they are very civil and courteous ; 
and though I had made such a hash of their language, 
they thought it right to compliment me. 

''Some days later I fell sick of a pestilential illness 
which declared itself in the college. I was one of 
its first victims. My catechists nursed me with great 
care and attention, and Bp. Retord, Bp. Jeantet, and 
Fr. Castex, Pro- Vicar-General of the mission, sent 
me all sorts of medicines, which, with the grace of 
God, cured me. As soon as I could stand, I went by 
boat for a change of air to another village, named 
Ke-Dam, where an Annamite priest has his principal 
residence. Remark that I went in a boat across the 
fields, because every year at this time there is a flood 
caused by the overflow of the rivers, the result of the 
tropical rains in the western mountains. The whole 
country becomes like one vast sea. The villages 
themselves are all under water and the only means 
of communication is by boats. I found myself well 
enough on All Saints' Day to say a low Mass. The 
evening before, all the village gathered around the 
church to congratulate me on my recovery. The 
chiefs, dressed in their best clothes, came to conduct 
me solemnly to church, to the sound of native music 
and repeated hurrahs. You see, dearest father, that 
the Annamites care for their missioners. But the 
evening of the Feast of All Saints was the reverse 
of the medal. I had hardly gone to bed when they 
came to wake me, and to announce the arrival of a 
mandarin for a domiciliary visit. They were in a 
great fright and implored me to go on to another 
village. Though the news was not very certain, I 
thought that I had better comply with their wishes. 



Theophane Venard 121 

and so packed up my traps as fast as I could. I was 
carried with all my little establishment on men's 
backs in the middle of the night to the said village. 
This was my first nocturnal flight; since then I have 
had many others ! I remained eight days in the house 
of a devout Christian in this place, who acted as if 
he could not make enough of me; and to show my 
gratitude I made a great distribution of medals and 
rosaries. Then I went on to a college in the little 
town of Hoang-Nguyen, where Fr. Castex has his 
principal residence. Fr. Castex was on a diocesan 
tour and would not return till December. I was, 
therefore, the only European in the college, at the 
head of which was a native priest, an Annamite Father. 
Here I began to hear confessions, first among the 
students, and then among the Christians of the vil- 
lage; but I made little or no progress, because very 
soon I fell sick again with inflammation of the lungs, 
which endangered my life. But I recovered. Fr. 
Castex returned with Fr. Titaud, and then another 
of our missioners, Fr. Neron, came along, so that we 
were four altogether. You can fancy what a pleasure 
it was! After some days of mutual enjoyment, Fr. 
Titaud went back to his district. Fr. Neron also 
prepared to leave for his College of Vinh-Tri, of 
which he is the superior; but he was taken prisoner 
in crossing the river and very nearly gave us a fresh 
martyr. By a special providence, the soldier who 
had hastened to the village to get a reinforcement in 
order to secure our poor brother, met the chief of the 
canton, who knew Fr. Neron and had a great regard 
for him ; although a pagan, he connived at his escape 
and the only loss was a sum of money. 

''You want to know more about my health. On 
New Year's day I was so ill that I could hardly re- 



122 A Modern Martyr 

ceive the visits of congratulation from the Christians 
of the district. The bishop sent me his own physician, 
a very clever man, whose medicines did me some 
good, but after his departure I fell ill again. Fr. 
Castex took every possible care of me and was ex- 
tremely anxious on my account. I was obliged to give 
up confessing, saying Mass, or Office, even reading 
and writing, and I was scarcely allowed to speak at 
all. At last Fr. Castex advised me to make a novena 
to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and insisted 
on sharing it with me. We began on the day of the 
Purification and at once I felt myself getting better; 
since then all bad symptoms have disappeared and my 
strength has nearly returned. To the Sacred Hearts 
of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph be the praise. 

"About this time the political horizon darkened; a 
revolutionary party broke out in Tong-king; a new 
edict, emanating from the king, denounced our holy 
religion ; evil-disposed persons betrayed to the man- 
darins the residences of the missioners; the College 
of Ke-Vinh was broken up ; and Bishop Retord, with 
several of his missioners, had to keep himself in 
hiding. The mandarin of Ke-Cho, the capital of Tong- 
king, laid siege to the Seminary of Ke-Non, but Bishop 
Jeantet had already taken flight to the mountains, 
whence he wrote to Fr. Castex and me: T have been 
looking up my old haunts, and the caves where I lived 
at the time of the persecution of Minh-Menh, — not 
that it is very easy for an old man like me to scramble 
up and down rocks and precipices. I sometimes won- 
der how I manage to get on at all.' 

''The mandarin found only an Annamite Father and 
a deacon, whom he released soon after, although not 



Theophane Venard ' 123 

without the payment of 10,000 francs. The College 
of Ke-Non is at least still standing. 

*'As for Fr. Castex and myself, after having been 
chased from one village to another, we have finally 
taken refuge in a convent near the town of But-Dong, 
where we have lived as hermits with two catechists 
for the last two months. Very soon, however, I hope 
we shall be able to show our faces again, as the storm 
seems to have subsided. Yet we must be prudent, 
for the denouncer of Bishop Jeantet, having failed 
to catch him, has offered his own head to the mandarin 
if he cannot deliver a European into his hands before 
the end of the year. Everyone, therefore, keeps him- 
self on guard. What will happen, God knows ; in any 
case it is better to hope than to fear. Bishop Retord 
writes to us, 'Jesus and Mary will not abandon us 
now any more than they have done before. Pray 
then with great confidence, and do not let us be dis- 
couraged or give way to sadness. If any of us win 
the martyr's palm so much the better. Sicut fuerit 
voluntas tua, sic fiat/^ 

"The rebellion goes on spreading; it wants to re- 
establish the ancient dynasty on the throne, and the 
revolutionists say that they will soon present the new 
king. On the other hand the misery is very great. 
Last year's rice harvest was bad enough ; this year 
in many places it is simply lost. Thousands of people 
are dying of hunger. It is enough to move any one 
to compassion. People in Europe have no idea of the 
common misery in this unhappy country. The feasts 
of the New Year, which are generally so gay, have 
this season passed in sadness and mourning, and it is 

tBe it done according to Thy will. 



124 A Modern Martyr 

not probable that the end of the year will be brighter. 
Now, dearest father, I must stop. Adieu. Do not 
be anxious about me. What God keeps is well kept. 
Stay well ; pray for me ; and may the joy of our Lord 
Jesus Christ fill your heart forevermore." 



Theophane Venard 125 

CHAPTER XL 

Labors and Trials. 

Up to this time Theophane had not said much of his 
relations with the people. He filled up this void in the 
following letter to his sister: — 

"You say you would like to be a little bird, my dear- 
est sister, and see how I get on with my new children. 
Well, I assure you I begin to love them very much. 
The Annamite people are thoroughly good and their 
respect for the missioners is very great. Until now 
the state of the country and my small acquaintance 
with the language have prevented my doing much, but 
the principal people of the villages often come to see 
me and bring some little present. I could only say 
a few unintelligible sentences at first, which I saw 
made them very much inclined to laugh; but they 
would not have done so for all the world, they are so 
afraid of hurting my feelings. Very often the peas- 
ants come to pay me a visit: one day it is the father 
of a family who has married off one of his children 
and brings me a pig's head killed for the feast; an- 
other day some mother arrives who wishes to recom- 
mend her son just starting for the army; or four or 
five poor women will come together to offer me a 
little basket of fruit, or to ask me for a rosary or a 
cross. I can answer only in a few words but every 
one goes away pleased and satisfied. It is the custom 
among the Annamites that no one shall present himself 
to a superior without offering a present. If our poor 



136 A Modern Martyr 

Christians ever have any fine fruit, or extra good fish, 
or any vegetable larger than usual, they take the 
greatest delight in coming to offer it to the missioners. 
I assure you, Melanie, I love the Annamites very much, 
and I thank God every day that He has consecrated 
me to their service. All is not, certainly, colour de 
rose, but there will always be thorns in every path. 

''One word as to these nuns of Tong-king, about 
whom you make such eager inquiries. They are 
natives living in community under the authority of an 
abbess; they do not take vows and are received very 
young. They work in the fields, prepare the cotton 
for linen cloths, or sell pills, which will astonish you, 
and probably make you laugh ; but it is by this means 
that they gain access to pagan children who are ill and 
baptize those in danger of death. 

'They live poorly, pray a great deal, give them- 
selves the discipline, and fast far more than ordinary 
Christians. When necessary they act as couriers to 
carry letters from one mission to another, in which 
capacity they are often invaluable ; there is nothing in 
this occupation which shocks the feelings or customs 
of their country. On such occasions they always go 
in pairs. They often carry great loads, but they are 
accustomed to toil and fatigue, as all Annamite women 
are. The Christians always call them 'Sisters' and 
they are universally loved and respected. 

"It is very pleasant to hear the native prayers, 
especially when they are said well together; their 
harmony has often touched me more .than the most 
beautiful European music. The people have some 
very pretty litanies of Our Lady, especially one of the 
Immaculate Conception. But their acts of thanks- 
giving after Communion are the most touching ; when 
I hear them, it moves me almost to tears. The Anna- 



Theophane Venard 137 

mites do not know how to pray in silence or in a low 
voice; and even if there is only one communicant, 
he intones his thanksgiving aloud, either alone or in 
company with the choir. The catechists sing the plain 
chant very well, and sometimes chant High Mass; 
but then there is always a musical accompaniment. 
Their instruments are the violin, harp, drums, fife, and 
cymbals. They have not much variety in their music, 
and during High Mass will play a single tune over 
and over till one is satiated with it. But after all, 
God is, perhaps, as much praised and glorified by this 
simple, devout congregational music as by the most 
magnificent harmony, executed by first-class artists. 
It is the vibration of the heart, and not of the chords, 
which is acceptable to Him. 

"And my Latin scholars, you ask, are they very 
learned ? It is difficult for them to be, since they have 
no dictionaries. At the end of their studies they 
understand the Catechism of the Council of Trent, 
and of late years Bishop Retord has started a class of 
Philosophy which is conducted in Latin. You may well 
imagine that we do not trouble our heads to teach 
Ovid, Horace, or heathen mythology to these poor 
Annamites. Hence the controversy as to the classics 
must be judged by itself." 

In a letter to an old friend about this time we find 
a touching passage showing the simplicity and naivete 
of these people in their religious rites : — 

"I am quite sure that your first experience in 
performing a marriage ceremony was widely different 
from mine. In Tong-king there are no marriage 
processions and no bridesmaids, as in France. The 
married couple receive the sacrament as they do the 
Blessed Eucharist without any demonstration. Well, 
my fiances having been to confession, and thus 



128 A Modern Martyr 

prepared themselves, the day was fixed. I went very- 
early in the morning, and sang Mass for the whole 
population (they keep early hours in Tong-king). 
Then my catechist made a signal for the young couple 
— each was about eighteen years of age — to go up to 
the altar. The young girl mounted the steps; but 
where was her betrothed? He never appeared. After 
waiting some time in vain, the poor child was quietly 
told to go back, and come again at the same time 
to-morrow. Resigned and gentle, she obeyed. The 
next day the future husband made his appearance at 
the proper moment and I blessed the marriage. In 
the course of the day the newly-married couple, con- 
ducted by the sister of the bride, came to pay me a 
visit, and to thank me. I ventured to ask why the 
young gentleman had not made his appearance the 
first day. He answered with perfect simplicity, that 
he 'did not wake in time.' '' 

We cannot better describe the people and the life 
of the young missioner, than by his letters, which 
are graphic pictures of his daily trials and their 
consolations. In September, 1855, Theophane wrote 
again to his family: — 

"I hope that my last letters, written in March, have 
reached you. Since then it has pleased God to throw 
me again on a bed of sickness. On Ash Wednesday 
I went to Father Castex, Vicar-General of the mission, 
who was at the College of Hoang-Nguyen. The 
distance was not more than a quarter of a league but 
the road was full of mud and water. I took a violent 
chill and fever, and from that moment I got worse and 
worse. I was also obliged to flee by night several 
times from the mandarins and hide in the rice-fields. 



Theophane Venard 129 

This did not mend matters. The people around me 
thought the end was at hand and prepared everything 
for my funeral. But God sent me a doctor, who 
gave me some new sort of medicine which brought 
me to life again. I received Extreme Unction twice, 
and each time God was pleased, in strengthening my 
soul, to restore my body. I am now staying at Ke- 
Vinh with Bishop Retord, who hopes to complete my 
cure; but I am afraid it will be difficult, as my left 
lung is almost gone. I have terrible perspirations and 
an oppression on my chest ; in the morning I sometimes 
have such violent expectoration and running at the 
nose that I cannot say Mass. On the other hand my 
appetite is good, so that I can go on with my little 
studies. Do not let my illness make you unhappy, 
my dearly-loved people ! but pray for me, that the 
sufferings of my body may be for the spiritual 
welfare of my soul. ..." 

In this September letter he alludes as follows to 
the persecutions: — 

"They threatened to be terrible; but thank God! 
our worst apprehensions have not been realized. Our 
purses have suffered most; for one could close the 
mandarins' mouths only by bars of silver. Our poor 
missions have indeed been bled to satisfy pagan 
rapacity. These poor Annamites are always the 
victims of some misfortune or some act of oppres- 
sion. One year an inundation comes ; the next, a 
drought. The harvest almost always fails. A bowl 
of rice is all that the people want, and even this much 
they cannot always obtain. Yet these rapacious 
gentlemen, the mandarins, who are nominally their 
fathers and protectors, think of nothing but pillage 
and robbery, and how to suck wealth out of these 
9 



130 A Modern Martyr 

unhappy people like so many leeches. I really believe 
there is no such thing as an honest man among the 
mandarins. The Christians are a capital bank for 
them; their religion being proscribed by the king, it 
is the easiest thing in the world to accuse them at any 
moment of 'treason and rebellion against the state/ 
From the village mayors up to the mandarin gov- 
ernors of the provinces, every man will have his share 
in the plunder. In a village which is half Christian 
and half pagan, the Christians pay a heavy ransom to 

have liberty of conscience This year we have 

had no martyrdom. I have heard of a doctor and his 
two brothers who were thrown into prison by the 
mandarin and who are still in captivity. I know this 
physician; he is a most fer^'ent and excellent man, 
and has already been a Confessor for the Faith in the 
Minh-^Ienh persecution. Thanks to the interposition 
of a friendly mandarin at court. Bishop Retord has 
been able to return to his college ; and Bishop Jeantet 
has also gone back to his seminar}'. So after the 
storm comes the calm, and God protects His own. 
Since Januar)' I have not had a line from any of 
you and am getting rather anxious for tidings. May 
God and His Holy Mother preser\-e you, my dearest 
father, and sister, and brothers, from all evil, now 
and forevermorel" / 

A little later he writes: — 

'T am dying out like a candle, and holding to life by 
a mere thread. I think the doctors have given me up 
but I can still rejoice in whatever God appoints. Per- 
haps this is the last note you will receive from me. 
Pray for me, that, though my poor body perishes from 
day to day. my soul may be saved through the merits 




THE VENARD HOME AT ST. LOUP, 
where the martyr was born. 



Theophane Venard 131 

of Him Who died for me. We shall meet one 
another in a brighter and better home. Adieu!" 

On the 1st of December he wrote again to his 
sister, saying that he had recovered his strength ; that 
his left side was much better; and that she must join 
with him in thanking and praising God for having so 
unexpectedly restored him to health. He continues : — 

''We are in a period of comparative peace, so that 
our schools are re-opened. The bishop can officiate 
pontifically on festivals; and we may go, in the day- 
time, to walk in the college gardens — a favor of 
which you would understand the magnitude better if 
you had been confined, like us, for so long a time in 
one room, without daring either to sing or speak above 
a whisper. Lately the government has been put in a 
state of excitement by the appearance of an English 
man-of-war at Touranne, which is close to the capital 
of the kingdom in Cochin-China. I believe that the 
Governor General of Hong-Kong and the Plenipoten- 
tiaries of Queen Victoria came to propose a treaty of 
commerce to Tu-Duc, the Annamite king. However, 
this 'gracious sovereign' would not receive the des- 
patches; so the English had to retire without doing 
anything. But the consequences have been rather 
disastrous for us, as they choose to fancy that we 
sent for the English. We have had no news from 
hcwne for more than a year. I try to be patient but 
each courier who arrives and brings no letters is a 
fresh mortification. Pray for me, that I may strive to 
live above all these feelings and become a more 
worthy priest of Jesus Christ ; so that in the difficult 
post which I now occupy, I may have the necessary 
grace and prudence. As for me, I never cease to pray 
for you all. Rememl)er your poor little Theophane!" 



132 A Modern Martyr 

At this time the Crimean war and the proclamation 
of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception occupied 
the minds of men of every class in Europe. Although 
sixteen months had elapsed since Theophane had re- 
ceived any letters from home, yet the news of these 
two great events reached our missioners and rejoiced 
their sad hearts. Theophane wrote to express his 
joy to his sister, and adds: — 

*'Since my last letter the persecution has been re- 
newed and one of our native priests, Huong, has been 
martyred. This did not prevent Bishop Retord from 
preaching his Lenten missions, and, thanks to Our 
Lady's protection, we have not had to take many more 
precautions than usual. As far as I am concerned, I 
had the pleasure of accompanying His Grace in one of 
his diocesan tours, where the work was arduous and 
incessant. He celebrated the Offices of Holy Week 
and Easter at Ke-Vinh before an immense congre- 
gation, and everything passed off well, and in compar- 
ative peace, if such a word can be used in connection 
with people in our position. You will perhaps wonder 
how, being continually on the 'qui vive/ and in hiding, 
with a price put upon our heads, we can think of 
keeping feasts and talk of peace. But it seems as if 
a special protection of God and the Blessed Virgin 
rested upon us, so that we may 'serve Him without 
fear.' Besides, when we do get a little liberty, we 
set it against the continual vexations and constraints 
to which we are generally subject. We are like rats 
coming out for a little bite, regardless of the cat, and 
hastening to regain our holes on the first alarm or 
sound of danger." 



Theophane Venard 133 

At last, after a nineteen months' fast, the poor 
missioners received their letters from home. Theo- 
phane then wrote: — 

"On the feast of St. Peter, Bishop Retord called 
in all his missioners and his coadjutor. Bishop Jeantet, 
to meet him at the College of Ke-Vinh. We made a 
retreat in common, and passed fifteen days in the 
most perfect calm and peace, in spite of the emissaries 
of the mandarins who were spying in the neighbor- 
hood. We sang heaps of French songs and enjoyed 
ourselves thoroughly. Just before we parted, a 
courier arrived from Cochin-China, bringing news 
from Europe of the allies' success, the proclamation 
of peace, the birth of the Prince Imperial, and the 
rejoicings of the people at the new dogma. We 
were told also of the embassy sent by the Emperor 
to negotiate with the Annamite king, so as to stop the 
persecution of Christians, and especially of the French 
missioners, whose blood this king, a worthy successor 
of his father, has so cruelly shed. We were about to 
disperse to our respective missions and had already 
taken leave of one another, when a tremendous inun- 
dation came, worse than any in the memory of the 
oldest inhabitant, and it compelled us to stay where 
we were. The flood lasted a whole month and the 
waters covered four large provinces, besides breaking 
down the dykes in many places. The newly-sown 
rice was completely lost ; that which was almost ready 
for the harvest was submerged, and the greater por- 
tion rotted; many villages were destroyed, and 
thousands of persons drowned, or killed by the falling 
of the mud walls of their houses. Many took refuge 
in the mountains; others huddled close to the dykes 
which had resisted the rush of waters, and remained 



134 A Modern Martyr 

there without food for days; others again, like our- 
selves, were kept prisoners in their houses, obliged 
to battle with the ever-rising flood. Often it was 
necessary to take up the flooring and make a tem- 
porary standing-ground in the upper story or close 
under the roof, which had to be pierced to give air. 
'In the villages where inundations are an annual 
occurrence, there is a system of boats, which are kept 
ready in case of need, but in other places you can 
imagine the misery! Besides, the g-^rdens are all 
destroyed, trees killed, and cattle and domestic animals 
drowned. As for ourselves, the stud nts of the 
college, by working day and night, contrived to build 
a dyke sufficiently strong to protect the church 
and our place of refuge, but the bishop's house was 
full of water. In the midst of this I fell sick of a 
violent fever with an attack of asthma, and it was in 
one of the worst fits that your letter was brought to 
me and acted like the dew on the parched ground. 
Don't fancy that this is a figure of speech. I do 
assure you it is a fact that the sight of your hand- 
writing, and the joy that I felt, reacted on my whole 
system, and the fever was sensibly diminished. How- 
ever, just as I was beginning to rejoice in a kind of 
convalescence, I caught typhoid fever, which again 
brought me to the very gates of death. Bishop Retord 
and my fellow-missioners said Masses for me to St. 
Peter of Alcantara (to whom, St. Teresa says, our 
Lord refuses nothing), and I got better from that 
time. The end of all this succession of fevers is, that 
although I am about again, I am still very weak; but 
as my appetite has returned, I hope to be able to work 
soon. My left side no longer gives me so much pain ; 



Theophane Venard ^ 135 

and as God has preserved me until now, I hope that 
He will do so to the end, and enable me to do some- 
thing for His glory before I die." 

After receiving these letters, his family naturally 
feared that the following courier would bring the news 
of his death. Their surprise and joy were therefore 
very great at the contents of a letter, dated June, 1857, 
in which he says, "At the end of the year 1856 every 
one thought I was dying. So I took the advice of 
Bishop Retord and consented to try a Chinese remedy, 
which is used only in extreme cases, and is called, 
in Annamite, 'Phep-Quenou/ In Europe it would 
be considered a species of cauterization. It consists 
in applying little burning balls of a certain herb, some- 
thing like absinthe, to different parts of the body. 
There are, the Chinese doctors say, three hundred and 
sixty points in the human body which .may thus be 
burnt. The difificulty is to know which is the right 
spot; otherwise, you may be lamed, or become blind, 
or have your mouth drawn to one side, etc., etc. I 
was burnt in five hundred different places, about two 
hundred of which were near the lungs. At the end 
of a few days these cauterizations, or inoculations, 
produced a little yellow pustule full of matter ; this is 
a sign that the operation has been successful, as the 
system is supposed thus to reject all that is noxious. 
The result has been that I am wonderfully better, 
and my patience in enduring this small purgatory for 
several hours has been rewarded. But enough of 
my wretched ailings, for to be sick is natural to me; 
and Bishop Retord declares that I have chosen 
sufferings for my specialty. 

"I would rather talk to you about the state of our 
poor mission. We were at Ke-Vinh in February, 



136 A Modern Martyr 

when one Monday, at eight o'clock, one of the villagers 
came in hot haste to tell us that the mandarin of the 
southern province had surrounded the village and 
was coming to seize us. Bishop Retord was forced 
by the students into a subterranean hiding-place; 
Father Charbonnier and I were stuffed into a place 
between two walls, where we remained for four hours 
without seeing the light of day. At the end of this 
time, some one came to announce to us that the 
domiciliary visit was over, and the mandarin gone; 
but that he had carried off with him the director of 
the college (a venerable priest named Tinh), one of 
the catechists, and the mayor of the place. The 
truth was, that in the neighboring province certain 
Christians had been forced by blows to reveal the 
bishop's residence; and a poor woman, who was the 
bearer of some European letters to one of our 
missioners, was seized, and, being put to the torture, 
confessed in her agony, that they were destined for 
the College of Ke-Vinh. But this was only the begin- 
ning of a series of misfortunes. In March the man- 
darin returned with two hundred soldiers to destroy 
both the church and the college ; but we had received 
warning in time, and had all taken refuge in the 
mountains. The next day we returned to find every- 
thing in ruins, and as we were surrounded by spies, 
it was thought best to leave the place for a time. I 
went by night, secretly, in a boat, to my old quarters 
at Hoang-Nguyen, while Bishop Retord and Father 
Charbonnier returned to their hiding-places in the 
mountains. Father Castex and Father Theurel, the 
superior of the college, were at Hoang when I 
arrived; but the former was soon seized with rheu- 
matic fever, and became dangerously ill. Bishop 
Retord, hearing of this, came down from the hills to 



Theophane Venard 137 

administer the last consolations to our dear friend 
and brother, who expired on the eve of Trinity, after 
great sufferings. His death was, however, perfectly 
peaceful, and he slept the sleep of the just. To me, 
who had lived in great intimacy with him for two 
years, the loss is very great, and I have scarcely 
courage to face the future. Bishop Retord has given 
me his post, for which I feel utterly unworthy. May 
I only imitate the holiness of my predecessor and win 
as many souls for our dear Master as he did ! 

**Our good old priest, Tinh, of whom I spoke as 
having been carried off by the persecutor, made a 
glorious confession of faith, and was instantly be- 
headed. The Christians had no time to help him in 
his last moments, but he was one who kept his lamp 
always burning. The sword of the executioner broke 
in halves during the operation. The mandarins 
thought this a bad omen, and in consequence offered 
pagan sacrifices to appease the dead ancestors of 
the victim. Poor Tinh's three companions, having 
also generously confessed the faith, were condemned 
to perpetual banishment in a distant, unhealthful 
mountain. A few months later, a pagan prefect, 
having taken a spite against Bishop Diaz, a Dominican, 
denounced him to the mandarins, and his Lordship was 
seized at his residence in the village of Biu-Chu and 
dragged to the prefecture, where he is now imprisoned 
and rigorously guarded. We expect every day to hear 
that he has been condemned to death. The great 
mandarin has a special hatred for all Christians just 
now, and has placed crosses at the gates of the town, 
so that everyone going out or coming in shall 
trample them under foot. The unhappy Christians 
have been subject to domiciliary visits day and night. 
Fortunately, however, they were warned in time, and 



138 A Modern Martyr 

the greater number have taken flight. In Cochin- 
China the state of things is still worse. 

"I told you, in a previous letter, that the Emperor 
was going to send a plenipotentiary to plead the 
cause of the Christians with the Annamites. Well, 
M. de Montigny arrived in due time, but with only 
two little steamers and a small warship, and with 
no real powers to treat. So the king refused to 
hear him and the Frenchmen had to weigh anchor 
and go. The people, Christians and pagans, who had 
been rejoicing at the prospect of being delivered 
from the tyrants, seeing the complete failure, were not 
only thoroughly discouraged, but began to despise 
a power which could do nothing, and this shame has 
fallen heavily on us poor missioners. If France 
meddles at all, she ought to do it thoroughly, so as 
to carry her point. Still, all hope is not gone, as the 
Chinese war has brought a large fleet into these 
waters. M. de Montigny, unable to help us as he 
wished, threatened the king with the account which 
he would have to render for the French blood shed in 
his dominions. The king, seeing the interest which 
M. de Montigny took in the Christian missioners, 
imagined that we had sent for him ; so that when M. 
de Montigny went away he left us in the claws of 
a tiger more than ever irritated against us. In conse- 
quence, they seized a Christian mandarin with thirty 
of his neophytes, and after having made them suffer 
horrible tortures, condemned them to be beheaded. 
Then the poor mandarin was dragged through all the 
streets of the capital, and at each corner his sentence 
was read out, while he received thirty blows with a 
stick. This sentence was full of blasphemies against 
our Lord such as these : *The Christians pretend that 
those who suffer tortures are sure of Paradise after 



4 



Theophane Venard 139 

their death. Who knows that? Fools that they are! 
If it were so, why does not their Jesus come and 
deHver them?' Oh, my Lord! Thou hast heard 
their words, and wilt remember them. Yes, I have a 
firm conviction that Thou wilt aid us and avenge 
Thy name!" 

After the death of Fr. Castex, as we have said, Fr. 
Venard remained at the College of Hoang-Nguyen, 
where he had the joy of being once more with his 
great friend, Fr. Theurel. But the difficulty of 
carrying on the work of the missions, owing to the 
violence of the persecutiori, weighed heavily on his 
mind. 'T sometimes ask myself," he writes, Ts God's 
grace no longer so effective as before? Has the time 
passed for the conversion of the Gentiles? Or are 
we poor missioners less zealous than our predeces- 
sors?' It is quite heart-breaking to look around and 
to see nothing but heathen pagodas, to hear nothing 
but the bells of the bonzes, to witness only diabolical 
processions! Our dear Lord has to bow before the 
ministers of Buddha and Confucius. His missioners 
live in holes and caverns and a price is put upon their 
heads. Is not the day of their deliverance at hand? 
In this Annamite kingdom the penal laws are most 
cruel and rigid, but they are only half carried out, on 
account of the greed of mandarins, who simply use 
them as a means to extort money. If at least one 
might buy peace with the money! But no; this half 
and half persecution undoes everything. One day 
you build a church, open a school, establish a college. 
The next week perhaps you have to fliee and your 
works are all destroyed. Another time you pay a 
large sum to a mandarin to be left in peace. Then 
he goes out of office, and another comes, who perhaps 
asks double the price, which it is impossible to raise; 



110 A Modern Martyr 

and the edifice you have reared with such pains and 
labor crumbles away ! As for me, I have no hope but 
in God and in His Immaculate ^lother, whose Con- 
ception has just been so gloriously proclaimed. Under 
the yoke of the oppressor, we are like the Jew^ish 
captives, 'Super fliimina Bahylonis! But I look on 
this proclamation as a rainbow, which is to announce 
to us the end of the storm/' 

In September, 1857, he wrote again to his sister, — 

"My Dearest Sister, — You will have seen by my 
last letter that my health is improved, and that Bishop 
Retord has given me a new district. I have upwards 
of twelve thousand Christians here, divided into four 
large parishes, with six or seven native priests under 
me. ^ly duty is to go from parish to parish, seeing 
that all is in good order ; establish peace if there should 
be discord; give the necessary dispensations; confirm, 
in cases w^here the Bishop or \^icar Apostolic cannot 
come to perform that sacramental function ; give re- 
treats and missions ; in fact, strive to augment in all 
hearts the love of God and the zeal for His Church. 
As to the pagans, I have never counted them, but 
there must be from 250,000 to 300,000. It needs ten 
St. Francis Xaviers to bring all these people to the 
knowledge of the Gospel. At this moment it is difl[i- 
cult for us to do much in the way of conversion on 
account of the violence of the persecution. Still from 
time to time souls are garnered. When the children 
are ill, the mothers bring them for baptism. The other 
day a young widow brought her little one who was 
dying. She herself was in the greatest misery, having 
eaten only five times in twelve days. I baptized her 
child, and then entrusted her to the care of one of our 



Theophane Venard 141 

Christian women, who is now preparing the mother 
likewise for that holy sacrament. 

"After the Feast of the Assumption I went to a dis- 
trict almost entirely pagan. Only about two hundred 
Christians were scattered here and there. It was close 
to the residence of the mandarin. No European had 
ever penetrated so far into the interior; so I had to 
keep myself as hidden as I possibly could. But the 
children whom I had confirmed, unintentionally be- 
trayed me by chattering and saying 'A little European 
has come into the village, very small, but very white 
and pretty;' for you must know, my dear little sister, 
that we poor Europeans pass for great beauties, and 
one who is considered dark in France appears white 
among these people, who are burnt a mahogany color 
by the tropical sun. Well, what was to be done ? The 
hare was started and the dogs on the scent ! I resolved 
not to lose courage ; but putting my whole trust in God, 
I worked day and night in this. His neglected vineyard, 
during one whole week; meanwhile the Christians, 
who were in a terrible fright, acted as sentinels, and 
refused all visitors whose curiosity prompted them 
to wish to have a look at the European. Having 
finished my work, I departed secretly by night, favored 
by the darkness, and came to another place, where 
the villagers, amounting to four or five thousand souls, 
were all Christians, and the neighborhood, though 
pagan, was favorable to Christianity. 

''My goings and comings are easy at this season of 
the year, as the inundations last for four or five 
months. The country becomes an immense sea, in 
which float green villages. There are no roads. 
Everyone goes in boats; but fortunately there are 
plenty of these in all shapes and sizes. I have one 
which holds just one person. It is very light, and 



142 A Modern Martyr 

woven of bamboo; every evening, sitting like a 
tailor in my little skiflf, I paddle myself along to my 
different penitents, often meeting one or the other on 
the way, and then having races to see who shall be 
the quickest, in which manoeuvre I need not say that 
your poor brother is always beaten. I make a point 
of visiting my flock in their own homes, which gives 
them immense pleasure. In fact, it is impossible to 
find a better-disposed people than these poor Anna- 
mites, or to meet more fervent or pious souls. This 
year (and last) the inijndations have been extraordi- 
nary, and more than a foot of water came into my 
house. I had fishes, frogs and toads, crabs and ser- 
pents, swimming about my room very happily, while 
I myself was perched on some planks about three or 
four inches above them. But what I disliked most was 
that the rats insisted upon taking refuge on my mat, 
and one night I squashed one while I was asleep. It 
was a disagreeable discovery, but on waking, I found 
a poisonous viper, with black and white stripes, which 
had likewise coiled itself up on my poor bed, as if to 
ask for hospitality, and was hissing just as I stretched 
my toes. So I forgave the rat. However, I deter- 
mined, under the circumstances, to raise my house. I 
got the Christians to bring me a quantity of earth, and 
then to lift up my house four or five feet. For you 
must know that this house, like all the rest, consists 
only of two or three wooden columns, interlaced with 
bamboo trellice, outside of which is a thin plaster of 
mud, covered with a coating of lime that is supposed 
to look 'grand/ The height is never more than ten 
or fifteen feet, and the roof is made of dry leaves. 
The whole edifice is easy enough to transport, as it is 
very light, and a man can lift it in his hand. So now 
I am high and dry, and away from the water. I 



Theophane Venard 143 

have actually made a little garden, with flower seeds 
from Europe, and I have a rose tree, a honeysuckle, 
some balsams, and some stocks. Don't you think 
I was very persevering? But now, my darling little 
Melanie, don't go and imagine, in your foolish, loving 
sister's heart, that I am a great saint. I am not 
even a little wee one! Sickness has weakened my 
poor body, and stupefied my senses, and cooled my 
ardor. You see I own all my spiritual miseries to you 
so that you may pity me and pray for me. My 
heart is as cold and icy sometimes as the tropical sun 
is burning and hot. There are no beautiful churches 
or services here to rouse one's tepidity, and to drop 
a little dew of piety on one's frigid soul. Pray then 
for me, dearest sister, that the heavenly dew may 
descend and soften your brother's heart; that his 
interior life may be strengthened, and his prayers 
become more fervent, and the spirit of sacrifice more 
entire; so that he who bears the great title of mis- 
sioner may do works worthy of the name. Ask also 
that God may give me a little more health and 
strength, for you know how the body reacts on the 
soul ; and if the laborer stumbles in tracing the furrow, 
it will be crooked and only half done. Beg the 
Author of all Good for these gifts which I so greatly 
need, that His work may be better done, and His 
name be glorified. 

"You ask me if I should not like some object of 
devotion, or something for my church. If you could 
manage to make me a chasuble I should be most 
grateful, and my catechists would be delighted. Only 
yesterday they said to me, *Oh, father, do write to 
France, and get a prettier set of vestments for Mass 
on Feast Days.' 



144 



A Modern Martyr 



"And now, dearest sister, God bless and keep you 
and all near and dear to us. I recommend myself 
especially to the prayers of all who care for your 
unworthy brother, 

Theophane." 



Theophane Venard 145 



CHAPTER XII. 
Under Fire. 

The letters written by Theophane Venard in May, 
1858, did not reach their destination, and to follow the 
course of events preceding his martyrdom, we must 
have recourse to the report of Bishop Retord. 

"Our position,^' the Bishop wrote at this time, "is 
terrible. We are like birds on the branch of a tree, 
always on the alert, always receiving messages saying 
that we have been discovered by the spies, that we 
have been denounced, that the mandarins are sur- 
rounding our mission, and that such and such Chris- 
tians have been pillaged, tortured, and put to death on 
our account. In order to spare them, we hide in our 
little boats, or in caverns, or in tombs in the moun- 
tains, where we run the risk of being buried alive. 
One day we had to remain in one of these tombs for 
eight hours, being able to breathe only through a 
bamboo tube. When we came out we were all like 
idiots, and only half conscious. But the bodily pains 
we endure are nothing to the anguish of our souls, 
lest any neophytes should deny their faith under 
torture. The searchings - of the mandarins are so 
thorough, that it is almost impossible to escape. One 
of our native priests was seized last week and thrown 
into prison, from which he was released only by 
martyrdom. His companions and pupils, who had 
been arrested at the same time, were condemned to 
10 



146 



A Modern Martyr 



perpetual exile. Among them was a little child ten 
years old who, rather than renounce Jesus Christ, bore 
the strokes of the bastinado, and after being sep- 
arated from his parents and home, was sentenced 
to wear till death the malefactor's chain. Another 
priest and a catechist were arrested the next day and 
gained the martyr's palm. 

'Two new edicts fulminated against us have greatly 
kindled the zeal and fury of the pagan governors. 
Our chapels are destroyed, our houses demolished, 
our students dispersed, and our money wasted in vain 
attempts to redeem our converts. There is not one 
of my poor missioners who has not his personal 
troubles besides. Frs. Theurel and Venard, sur- 
rounded by their trembling, weeping flock, have been 
obliged to take refuge in subterranean caverns, where 
the mandarins as yet have been unable to follow them. 
Fr. Titaud saw his church and house destroyed before 
his eyes, and hid himself with difficulty in a wild 
solitude, exposed to the attacks of all kinds of 
venomous creatures. The same has happened to Fr. 
Saiget. Fr. Mathevon, hard pressed, nearly fell into 
the hands of the enemy, who had already seized his 
catechist and his guide. It suddenly occurred to him 
to throw himself between two or three old mats and 
he thus escaped detection. Bishop Jeantet has had 
to stop his theological class and hide in the mountains ; 
God knows when he will be able to return to his post. 
Even Fr. Charbonnier and I, who hoped to have 
escaped the storm in my little retreat of Vinh-Tri, 
have had to seek shelter (which men denied us) of 
the bears and tigers who have their holes in the 
rocks. Frs. Galy and Neron, who are at the extremity 
of the mission, have enjoyed a certain immunity until 



Theophane Venard 147 

now, but I expect every day to hear of fresh dis- 
asters." 

Then follows a recital of the tortures to which the 
Christians were exposed, to compel them to aposta- 
tize. We give a brief resume of these. 

The most ordinary instrument of torture is the 
'^cangue." It is a species of ladder, four or five feet 
long, and varying in weight from ten to forty pounds, 
the two sides of which are united at a width of six 
inches by four iron bars. The head of the martyr is 
passed through the middle bars, and the two heavy 
sides rest on the shoulders. To bear this day and 
night is absolute misery. The flesh of the neck and 
shoulders becomes raw; and when the inhuman jailers 
drag the sufferers from side to side, the agony may 
be imagined. 

In the prison itself, which is a species of hell upon 
earth, a fresh torture is resorted to. This is a kind 
of stocks, in which the feet are caught just above the 
ankle; very often these are too tight, and enter the 
flesh. What makes the stocks more insupportable is 
the fact that innumerable bugs live in the cracks of 
the wood, and constantly suck the blood of the 
victims. These stocks being immovable, the unhappy 
prisoners are compelled to remain in the same position 
day and night, either sitting or crouching, without 
being able to move in the least. 

The third torture, and one universally employed, is 
the "rotin" or knout, which is inflicted most brutally. 
Several victims are laid flat on their stomachs in rows, 
one after the other, the feet of one being fastened to 
the hands of the next, and all so stretched as 
almost to dislocate their joints. Each blow inflicted 
produces blood, and gives an involuntary start to all 
like an electric shock, so that those who are not 



1-18 A Modern Martyr 

struck suffer nearly as much as those who are ; and as 
a certain interval is left between the strokes, the 
torment lasts for several hours, each sufferer re- 
ceiving fifty or sixty blows. The instrument used 
for this horrible flagellation is a flexible whip, about 
the thickness of one's little finger, and nearly four 
feet long. The lash is split into four bits, firmly 
tied with twine steeped in gum, which renders the 
blow heavier and prevents its being softened in 
striking. 

After the flagellation come the pincers, either cold 
or heated in a forge, the bellows of which are always 
going, so that the pincers may be red hot. A portion 
of the martyr's flesh is seized with the iron, then 
dragged and torn off with a rapid twist of the pincers, 
while the victim is tightly bound to the ground. This 
operation is renewed on the same individual five or 
six times. The agony inflicted by the pincers when 
cold IS more intense, but the wound is more easily 
healed than is that produced by the red hot pincers. 
In the latter case the flesh around the burn generally 
festers, and the whole process apparently poisons the 
blood; but the pain is less, because the burning 
deadens the nerA'es. 

A fifth torture consists in forcing the confessor to 
kneel on a piece of wood full of nails, the sharp 
points of which pierce the flesh and penetrate to the 
bone. The unhappy victim sighs pitifully during this 
protracted torture, while the mandarins laugh at his 
contortions, and add to his agonies by their fearful 
blasphemies against our Lord. 

If the martyr has surv^ived the infliction of all these 
horrors, the persecutors try a sixth method of 
torture, which consists of dragging him by his 
*'cangue'' to the cross, while they scourge him, striving 



Theophane Venard 149 

to compel him to trample it under his feet. If his 
lips still move in prayer, the executioners strike him 
on the mouth, and offer insult in the most disgusting 
manner to the object of his veneration. 

Then the unhappy victims are again thrown into 
prison, heavily ironed, and separated one from the 
other. The chains which they wear are of three 
pieces, one being fastened around the neck by a large 
ring, the other two around the ankles by smaller 
rings, soldered to prevent the possibility of their being 
undone. These chains weigh five or six pounds. If 
the chain is too long the prisoner must hold it in his 
hand to be able to walk. If too short, his back is con- 
stantly bent. After tortures like these, it is not 
surprising if the courage of the Christians should 
sometimes, though very seldom, fail, and these oc- 
casional apostasies add to the sorrow of the missioner, 
whose whole moral nature has been agonized by the 
sight of such sufferings. 

Bishop Retord declared that his sadness was intense, 
and that only the special grace of God could enable 
him to bear such misery. From Easter Day, 1858, 
nothing but misfortunes overwhelmed his diocese, 
and he gives a short summary of them in a letter to 
Admiral Rigault de Genouilly, who had written to 
ask him for some account of the state of things. 
After a graphic picture of the persecution, the Bishop 
adds, *'And now you ask what has become of us poor 
missioners, apostles in a field once so fertile, now 
so desolate and abandoned? I can hardly tell you. 
It is more than six months since I have received news 
of Fr. Neron, and I do not know where he is, or if 
he still lives. Fr. Galy started on an Annamite mer- 
chant-ship to implore the aid of the Spaniards in 
Manila; but what has become of him I do not know. 



150 A Modern Martyr 

I fear that he may have been assassinated at sea like 
Fr. Salgot. Frs. Titaud, Theurel, and Venard, 
finding themselves surrounded by the enemy in their 
little bamboo huts, escaped by night and took to the 
mountains. It is more than two months since I have 
had any tidings of them. Bishop Jeantet, after wan- 
dering about in the hills for a long time, took refuge 
with some faithful peasants; and being obliged to 
escape in the night, was nearly drowned crossing a 
river. 

''I have no news whatever of Fr. Saiget. As for 
Frs. Charbonnier, Mathevon, and myself, who have 
been at Biit-Son since the 13th of June, we have been 
living as best we could, — one day in a peasant's cabin, 
the next under the trees, or in the bushes, or scram- 
bling over impassable roads, exposed to a burning sun 
or torrents of rain. We are half dead from hunger, 
with scarcely any clothes to cover us, overwhelmed 
with fatigue and sorrow, not knowing from one hour 
to another what is to become of us, or where w^e are 
to lay our heads. Indeed, our tribulations have been 
incredible, and almost unbearable. For more than 
four months wt have been unable to say Mass, having 
no vestments or altar, and no cabin where we can 
be quiet or in safety for half an hour. Hardly any 
of our native priests can say Mass either ; and what 
is worse, the sick die without receiving the last Sac- 
raments. Everything is destroyed or burnt; all are 
scattered, everyone is in hiding. Hardly a person 
knows where I am, for I have no one to whom I 
can entrust a letter; and the communications from 
others to me are lost, as the people, afraid of being 
compromised, generally burn them. We are, in fact, 
reduced to the last extremity." 



Theophane Venard 151 

This sad letter was written in October, 1858. In 
December Fr. Venard continued the recital in a long 
letter to his young brother, which we will transcribe 
literally. 

"My dearest Eusebius, — I received in October last 
your letters and those that all my dear family wrote 
to me in 1857 and 1858. You may fancy the joy they 
gave me. I wish I could, in reply, give you some 
consoling intelligence, but, alas! nothing but misery, 
tears, and agony has flooded this unhappy Annamite 
mission for the last nine months. I wrote you in 
May, 1858, that the mandarins of Nam-Dinh had 
vented their satanic rage against the Christians by 
inflicting unheard-of tortures, and that they had pub- 
lished a fresh edict against us, more bloody than 
any that had preceded it. At that time the district 
where Theurel and I lived was comparatively quiet; 
but the seizure by the mandarins of some letters 
which we had written to the Christians of Nam-Dinh, 
was the signal for the outburst of a more violent 
persecution than we had before experienced. The 
bearer of our letters was put to the torture, and in 
his agonies disclosed everything, betraying the sites 
of Bishop Retord's new colleges of Vinh-Tri, Ke-Non, 
and Hoang-Nguyen. At the same time, the devil 
entered the heart of one of our disciples, who, like 
another Judas, revealed to the mandarins not only 
the interior organization of the diocese, but all our 
hiding-places and our means of escape from perse- 
cutors. Fr. Theurel and I, though very anxious, 
flattered ourselves that, by being perfectly quiet, we 
might remain where we were; but the spies were 
too well informed. 

"On the 10th of June, in the middle of the night. 



152 A Modern Martyr 

a Christian woke us hurriedly, to say that the troops 
were marching to surround our house and make us 
prisoners. It was necessary to pack our traps and 
flee. This was no easy matter. We were two Euro- 
peans, three Annamite Fathers, ten or fifteen cate- 
chists, more than a hundred students, and we had all 
the mission furniture besides, which was to be put 
in some place of safety. But our Annamites are so 
accustomed to these sudden flights, that in a couple 
of hours everything was hidden in different corners. 
On the morning of St. Barnabas' Day, the man- 
darin's troops arrived to the number of two thousand, 
while upwards of fifteen hundred young pagans of 
the neighborhood were told off to watch all avenues 
to the college. In a few minutes they had surrounded 
not only the college itself, but three villages, the in- 
habitants of which were nearly all Christians. They 
thought themselves sure of their prey. Happily, we 
had been warned in time, and had placed our poor 
students in distant villages ; there were only two who 
had delayed their departure and these were caught in 
the very act of escaping; they were instantly hon- 
ored with a *cangue.' The soldiers had been prom- 
ised a rich plunder but found nothing, only bare walls 
and houses which looked as if they had been aban- 
doned for ages. In their rage they scattered all over 
the surrounding country, and came upon a village 
where the greater part of our students had taken 
refuge. These would certainly have been seized, if 
they had not received an early intimation of their 
danger. There were only about ten laggards, whom 
the soldiers caught as they were fleeing across the 
fields, and whom they tortured as they had the former 
captives. Among these was an old deacon over seventy 
years of age. The mandarins, being unable to discover 



Theophane Venard 153 

catechists, priests, or students in the first four villages, 
carried off our poor old porter, a blind man whom 
we employed to pick rice, and a poor old woman 
(with her daughter) who had the care of the church. 
The houses of the principal Christians were spared, 
owing to the intervention of the colonel and the 
sub-prefect, who were friendly towards us. 

''Well, the mandarins returned in triumph with our 
dear prisoners, all wearing the 'cangue' around their 
necks as criminals, and exposed to the derision of 
the unbelievers, even as Jesus was when He bore His 
Cross towards Calvary. This seizure was followed 
by the capture of several other Christians, among 
whom were three Annamite priests. In all more than 
fifty persons were taken. Our confessors had to 
endure frightful torments and scourgings; but all 
preferred death to apostasy. One of the mandarins 
tried to make a young catechist trample the Cross. 
The catechist replied, Tf you were told to trample 
under foot a coin bearing the image or superscription 
of the emperor, would you dare do it?' A great box 
on the ear was the answer. Another, taking the 
crucifix tenderly in his hand, and looking at it, said, 
'Dear Lord! Thou hast never done anything but 
good, and they wish me to insult Thee ! How could I 
have the heart?' Twenty strokes of the terrible 'rotin' 
were the reward of this outburst of love and piety. 
The mandarins ordered the students to chant their 
usual prayers. They intoned at once the litany of 
the Saints, and when they came to the petition for 
the king and for the mandarins, they repeated three 
times, with great fervor, 'Deliver them, O Lord, from 
all evil !' The mandarins understood the reproach and 
commanded them to hold their tongues. Then they 
tried to compel the old woman and her daughter to 



154 A Modern Martyr 

apostatize, but both refused, and the old woman 
said, 'Who would be fool enough to walk on the 
head of his father or mother?' The judges, ashamed 
of being defeated by a simple old woman, sent her 
back to her village with the child. 

*'As to the rest, — the three priests were beheaded; 
the two catechists and the poor old deacon died under 
torture; and the others were exiled to an unwhole- 
some and wild mountainous district, where many 
have preceded, and where many will follow them. 
May our Lord support and strengthen them! They 
are fools for Christ's sake. Yet theirs is the only 
true wisdom. What they have sown here below in 
suffering and humiliation, they will reap above in 
glory and in joy. 

"Our churches, colleges, and houses have been 
burnt to the ground. And this is not all. The Chris- 
tians have been exposed to the most unjust and rapa- 
cious extortions. How can I describe to you what 
leeches these Annamite officials are, from the highest 
to the lowest ? The first thing a mandarin does when 
he visits a province is to ask if the 'king's orders have 
been executed.' In other words, he says, 'Bring me 
some money.' When he leaves it is the same thing. 
The underlings are worse. They quarter themselves 
upon the Christians, and if these do not at once give 
all they ask, they denounce them to the authorities, 
who throw them in prison. The people give them 
the nickname, 'mandarin horse-flies.' What makes 
these officials more vexing is the continual movement 
among them, each one looking upon his province as 
a place from which he must suck as much blood as 
possible in a short time. I have neither the time nor 
the heart to relate to you the turpitudes and villainies 
of these people, and that not to the Christians only, 
but to all who may be under their rule. 



Theophane Venard 155 

*'The fate of our college of Hoang-Nguyen has 
been equally that of Ke-Non and Vinh-Tri, but the 
last has suffered most. I cantlot tell you all the de- 
tails, as our communications have been interrupted, 
and patrols placed on all the roads to prevent the 
Christians from meeting, or to compel them to trample 
the Cross under foot. But I know that out of nine 
hundred souls, thirty or forty of the principal people 
have been thrown into prison and most horribly 
tortured ; yet they have stood firm, and a large number 
have been condemned to death. 

''It is not only Bishop Retord's diocese that has 
suffered so terribly. The persecution has swept over 
the whole country from Cambogia to China. The 
Spanish Dominicans have been even more cruelly 
treated than ourselves. The order has come to seize 
all Christians, and to put them to death by what is 
called 'lang-tri,' that is, slow torture, cutting off first 
the ankles, then the knees, the fingers, the elbows, 
and so on till the victim is nothing but a mutilated 
trunk. Bishop Melchior, the Dominican Vicar Apos- 
tolic of the eastern district of Tong-king, suffered 
this horrible death last August. But you will ask me, 
'How did you manage to escape the fury of a storm 
like this?' I can only reply, 'By the grace of God, 
who has me in His holy keeping, and considers that 
my hour has not yet come. Our Christians guard 
my cabin and the only thing for me to do is to keep 
myself in a little corner without speaking or making 
the least noise. Even a sneeze or a cough might 
betray me. We consider ourselves fortunate if, in 
these retreats, we can have a little hole for light, 
so as to be able to read our office and some com- 
forting book. In this weary but voluntary imprison- 
ment one has to learn patience, and give up one's life 



156 A Modern Martyr 

freely to Divine Providence. Then, if the mandarin 
seems incHned to srearch the house, we take advantage 
of the darkness to escape to another hiding-place. 
Sometimes in a temporary lull, or a favorable 
moment, we are able to get a little fresh air, and 
to stretch our cramped limbs. 

"The great misery of this state of things is that we 
cannot administer the Sacraments, and many of our 
converts have to die without any spiritual consolation. 
Another misfortune is that we nearly always com- 
promise the Christians who give us hospitality, so 
that we often prefer trusting ourselves to the loyalty 
and good faith of pagans, who are less suspected. 
Fr. Theurel and I stayed two days and two nights 
in one of these houses ; but we did not meet its 
owner, who hid himself, that he might not see a 
European face. One night we received a sudden 
notice to leave this asylum and only a quarter of 
an hour afterw^ards the troops of the mandarins 
arrived. Bishop Retord, seeing the way in which 
we were hunted, advised us to take refuge, as he 
and Bishop Jeantet had done, in the mountain. We 
went, but the apostate before mentioned got an ink- 
ling of this, and surrounding the cavern where the 
Bishops had lately been concealed, placed guards at 
all the mountain passes. But God watched over His 
servants and they escaped to the forests before the 
enemy had completed preparations. The mandarins 
searched all the caves, and carried off everything 
they could find, which, in fact, was all that we pos- 
sessed; but no one was taken prisoner. 

"Bishop Retord, Fr. Charbonnier, and Fr. Mathe- 
von wandered barefoot through the woods, half dead 
with hunger, their feet wounded at every step by the 
pointed stones which the Annamites call cats' ears, 




BISHOP THEUREL, OF TONG-KING, 

Confessor of the Faith. 



Theophane Venard 157 

and with no means of quenching their thirst but a 
villainous kind of water which no one can drink with 
impunity. Seeing no way of escape, they built them- 
selves a little cabin in the centre of the forest, and re- 
mained there four months, during which time they 
were fed by neighboring Christians, and preserved in 
spite of the danger of being devoured by bears and 
tigers. I sent one of my catechists to them in August, 
and he was met by a magnificent royal tiger which had 
that very day eaten two poor girls who had been pas- 
turing their bullocks on the roadside. My poor cate- 
chist was saved only by a miracle from a like fate. 
Dear brother, you will want to know if Bishop Retord 
is still in his forest home. His body, yes; but his 
spirit has left this vale of misery for a better world. 
A malignant fever carried him oflf on the 22nd of 
October. Thus ended his life of labor and suffering, 
after twenty-five years spent on the missions, and 
fifteen in the episcopate. He did not live to see peace 
dawn on this unhappy country. All his days had been 
passed amid persecutions and contradictions, the 
realization of a dream which he had as a child, when 
the Virgin appearing carried him to the top of a high 
mountain, to the foot of a great Cross, and told him 
his life would be a series of crucifixions to the end. 
All missioners have to follow the way of the Cross, 
but Bishop Retord did so more than any of us, and his 
death in this terrible forest, where he was exposed 
to the continual attacks of wild beasts, and had not 
even the commonest necessities of life, was indeed 
death on the Cross — naked, austere, like that of his 
Lord and Master. 

"When Bishop Retord died he was alone with Fr. 
Mathevon, for as Fr. Charbonnier had had a touch of 
the fever, the Bishop had sent him down to the plains 



158 



A Modern Martyr 



to be nursed in the house of a pious Christian. After 
our holy Bishop had expired, Fr. Mathevon took 
shelter in a less unhealthful place, where he remains 
concealed. As for Fr. Theurel, Fr. Titaud, and my- 
self, we too had to climb the mountains, walk with 
bleeding feet on the cats' ears and install ourselves as 
hermits in the forest. We remained a fortnight in 
perfect peace, and each day added some improvement 
to our Robinson Crusoe life. We collected rain- 
water to drink, and to use in cooking our provisions ; 
then we made a little straight avenue where we could 
walk and recite our office. Every morning the in- 
habitants of the village of Dong-Chiem brought us 
provisions; and we had just begun to dig the ground 
and plant some vegetables, when one morning we had 
an unexpected visit from six pagans, armed to the 
teeth, who came in the guise of tiger-hunters. We 
received them with great civility, and a few moments 
after, under pretense of going out into the adjoining 
forest to get some wood, we escaped rapidly down 
the mountain-side to a boat which we kept on the 
river always ready for emergencies. These 'hunters' 
were in reality spies sent by the mandarins. From 
that moment we resolved to live in our boat among 
the reeds, now in one place, now in another. A 
faithful and devoted young Christian came every 
day, on the pretext of going fishing, to bring us food. 
Our life as sea-birds went on for some weeks, when 
we found that we were again discovered and watched. 
So we were compelled to separate, and to seek shelter 
in different houses. I returned to my old district and 
lived for three weeks in the house of a catechist, but 
amid continual alarms. I then took lodgings at But- 
Dong, in a convent, where I still remain. This vil- 
lage is half Christian, half pagan ; and in case of alarm 



Theophane Venard 159 

I have promised not to leave it, but to hide in a 
cavern which has been prepared for me. Fr. Saiget, 
who had been imprisoned for three months in a dark 
place, escaped through a hole in the roof, and has 
been able to come and join me. Just now we are 
enjoying a certain tranquillity. The nuns have given 
up their own room, which is large enough for us 
to walk six or seven steps, and two of our catechists 
are with us. So we study Chinese together to occupy 
time. But the spies of the mandarins surround us, 
and the poor nuns are in continual terror. There are 
sixteen of them and they take turns watching day 
and night. On the other hand, it is an immense 
consolation for them to have the Sacraments, and we 
strive to console and strengthen them to the utmost 
of our power. 

"We are in daily expectation of peace. A French 
squadron arrived at Touranne on the 1st of Sep- 
tember, and three thousand soldiers are camped on 
the shore. As soon as their arrival was known, there 
was great rejoicing among pagans as well as Chris- 
tians, for the pagans hate the reigning dynasty and 
attribute all the misfortunes of late years to the bad 
conduct of the king, who thinks of nothing but 
pleasure, and neglecting his people, gives them up to 
the oppression and rapacity of mandarins. Many say, 
'The cruelties against the Christians have brought 
down the vengeance of the gods on this dynasty. The 
Europeans come to deliver them, which is just and 
fair.' The appearance of a comet has strengthened 
the popular belief in the approaching dissolution of 
the Government. Such phenomena are always a sign 
of war to a superstitious people. A revolt has been 
organized, and waits only for the reported success of 
the French troops to lift its standard from one end 



160 



A Modern Martyr 



of the country to the other. Strangely enough, al- 
though the French squadron has been for three months 
and a half in Cochin-China, we have heard nothing." 



Theophane Venard 161 



CHAPTER XIII. 
In the Caves. 

"I have just heard that six more of our Christians 
have won the martyr's palm. Four were priests. One 
of our young students — of a noble family — who had 
had the misfortune to apostatize under torture, over- 
whelmed with remorse, gave himself up again into 
the hands of the cruel mandarin of Nam Dinh, who, 
in his fury, had him crushed to death under elephants' 
feet. Bishop Jeantet says he was quite a little fellow, 
and in one of the youngest classes. He adds, 'Our 
older students were superhuman in faith and fortitude. 
One of them, covered with blood, said, smiling, to 
the torturers, 'Your pincers and scourges are nothing 
to us; try something else!' 

"Fr. Legrand de la Lyraie, one of our missioners 
in the eastern district, writes for Admiral Rigault de 
Genouilly, who commands the French squadron in 
the Chinese waters, imploring us to seek refuge on 
board his French steamer until the necessary meas- 
ures are taken by the French army to deliver the An- 
namite Christians from oppression. The admiral is 
excessively alarmed at the dangers with which we are 
threatened, and wishes to put our lives out of the 
reach of the persecutors. Unfortunately, his proposal 
is impossible to us poor missioners of the western dis- 
trict; we are too far from the sea, and journeying in 
the country is too perilous to be attempted. I have 
11 



162 A Modern Martyr 

answered Fr. Legrand's kind letter and enclose this 
one in his, although there is fear that they will not 
reach their destination. I pray the Holy Angels to 
guard and conduct in peace the two devoted women 
who will be the bearers of my epistles! Women are 
our letter-carriers everywhere and manage it much 
better and with greater facility than men. Adieu." 

This letter was dated December 21, 1858, and 
reached its destination in March, 1859, God having 
watched over the faithful messengers, so that they 
reached the French squadron at Touranne in safety. 
In July, 1859, similar letters were despatched by our 
missioner, but they were intercepted and never touched 
the soil of France. It was not till March, 1860, that 
Theophane again put pen to paper. But already his 
father had gone to announce in Heaven the coming 
of his son. His three children, grouped around the 
bed, had implored his benediction, and Melanie, 
faithful to her promise, held before her father's dying 
eyes the portrait of his absent one. "Dearest father, 
Theophane is also here ; you must bless him with us." 
The poor father gave a deep sigh, and murmured 
faintly, "Ah, that dear child! where is he?" . . . 
Then, gathering all his strength, and raising himself 
in his bed, he exclaimed, "Dear children, receive this, 
the last blessing of your father, in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
Amen." His uplifted hand fell heavily back on the 
bed. Then he looked upwards with a fixed expression 
for some minutes, and those around him felt that he 
must have seen a beautiful vision. So this good man 
fell asleep sweetly in God, and his pure, honest soul 
passed without struggle to its rest. The death 
occurred at noon on Friday, the 26th of August, 



Theophane Venard 163 

1859, M. Venard being sixty-four years of age. His 
children had the following inscription engraved on 
his tomb :— 

*'Lord! He shared in Thy sacrifice; grant that he 
may share in Thy peace/' 

The sad news was at once conveyed to Tong-king 
but the unhappy state of that country prevented the 
arrival of the letters; and Theophane never knew on 
earth of his father's death. 

But let us return to the Mission. After Bishop 
Retord's death, Bishop Jeantet — who was about 
seventy years of age — remained alone to administer 
the vast diocese. He chose Fr. Theurel to act as 
his coadjutor; and this devoted missioner, a bosom 
friend of Theophane, was consecrated Bishop of 
Acanthus, though only twenty-nine years old. If 
God had given peace for a short time to the per- 
secuted Church, much might have been done by these 
two men, the one of such ripe wisdom and experience, 
the other with such fervent zeal and burning love 
of souls. But our Lord permitted the still further 
desolation of this land ; and the following letter from 
Fr. Venard gives an account of the first and last 
persecution of which he was to be the witness and 
the victim. The letter is addressed to an old college 
friend, the Abbe Paziot, and is dated the 10th of 
May, 1860. 

"My dear Friend, — It is a long time since I have 
written to you and perhaps you may fancy that I am 
dead, or that time has swept away our old friendship. 
Now I hope that both suppositions will disappear 
when you see this monstrous bit of paper — the only 



164 A Modern Martyr 

thing I can get — on which I shall try to paint for you 
— I have nothing but a brush — a, description of our life 
here, in as good language as a poor missioner can 
command who has nearly forgotten his native tongue. 
''I write to you from Tong-king, and from a little 
dark hole, where the only light comes through the 
crack of a partially opened door, just making it 
possible for me to trace these lines, and now and 
then to read a few pages of a book. For one must 
be ever on the watch. If the dog barks, or a stranger 
passes, the door is instantly closed, and I prepare 
to hide myself in a still lower hole, which has been 
excavated in my temporary retreat. This is the way 
I have lived for three months, sometimes alone, some- 
times in company with my dear old friend. Bishop 
Theurel, now coadjutor to our Vicar Apostolic. The 
convent which formerly sheltered us has been 
destroyed by the pagans, who got wind of our being 
there. We had barely time to escape into a space 
about a foot wide between two double walls. We 
could see through the chinks the band of persecutors, 
with the mayor at their head, garotting five or six 
of the oldest nuns, who had been left behind when 
the younger ones took flight. They beat these poor 
women with rods, laying their hands on everything 
they could get, even a few earthenware pots which 
hung on the partition behind which we were con- 
cealed. And we heard them vociferating, howling 
like demons, threatening to kill and burn everybody 
and everything unless they were given a large sum 
of money. Their 'agreeable visit' lasted four hours; 
and we were so close that we almost touched them. 
We did not dare to make the smallest movement, and 
held our breath till our pursuers were invited by the 
principal people of the village to go out and eat and 



Theophane Venard 165 

get drunk with them. They did not go, however, 
without leaving guards to surround the house; so it 
was not till cock-crow in the morning that we could 
make our escape, and take refuge in a smoky dung- 
heap belonging to a pious old Christian widow, where 
we were joined by another missioner who had had 
equal difficulties in making good his retreat. 

"What do you think of our position, dear old 
friend? — three missioners, one of whom is a bishop, 
lying side by side, day and night, in a space about a 
yard and a half square. Our only light comes through 
three holes the size of a little finger, made in the 
mud wall, and these a poor old woman is obliged to 
conceal by some fagots thrown down outside. Under 
our feet is a brick cellar, constructed with great 
skill by one of our catechists; in this cellar are three 
bamboo tubes, cleverly contrived to have their open- 
ings to the fresh air on the borders of a neighboring 
lake. This same catechist has built two other similar 
hiding-places in this village with several double 
partition walls. 

"We stayed with our poor old widow three weeks, 
during which time I am afraid you would have been 
rather scandalized at our gaiety. When the three 
holes gave no more light, we had a little lamp, with 
a shade to prevent its tiny rays from penetrating 
outside through the chinks of our prison. One day 
we found ourselves surrounded, in fact completely 
blocked, by sentinels posted at every corner of the 
house, so that there was no possibility of passing 
from one house to the other. An apostate who knew 
that we were in the village, had betrayed our hiding- 
place. Well, God defeated his plans. From morning 
till night, the pagans passed and repassed us, upset 
everything in the house, searched every corner. They 



166 A Modern Martyr 

broke in the walls behind which we were concealed, 
and I thought our hour of martyrdom had come. 
But vain are the efforts of men when God opposes 
their designs ! Perhaps you will say, 'In such a place, 
without air, light, or exercise, how can you live?' 
Your question is perfectly reasonable; and, what is 
more, you might ask why we don't go mad. To be 
shut up between two walls, with a roof which one 
can touch with his hand; having for our companions, 
— spiders, rats, and toads; obliged always to speak in 
a low voice, 'like the wind,' as the Annamites say; 
receiving every day terrible news of the torture and 
death of our fellow-missioners, of the destruction 
of missions, the exile of our students, and occasionally, 
worse still, of their apostasy under torture, — to live 
thus and not be utterly discouraged and cast down, 
we require, I admit, a special grace, a grace fitted 
to our state, I suppose. 

"As to our health, we are like poor plants in a 
cellar, stretching our lanky, unhealthy branches toward 
the light and air. When I can put my mouth close 
to the door which guards our retreat, I own occasion- 
ally to a feeling of envy for those who can enjoy as 
much of God's fresh air and sunshine as they please. 
One of my brethren writes to-day that for eighteen 
months he has not seen the sun, and he dates his 
letter 'from the land of moles.' As for me, I live on 
without being too bilious; the weak points about 
me are the nerves. I want something strengthening, 
like wine, but we have barely enough to say Mass, 
so one must not think of it. I have some pills now 
which an Annamite doctor has made up for me 
instead. Not many days ago, I managed to pass into 
a neighboring house, and was very much astonished 
to find myself tottering like a drunken man. I had 



Theophane Venard 167 

lost the habit and almost the power of walking, and 
the daylight made me giddy. 

''I wrote to my family in 1858, to tell them of the 
French squadron at Touranne. In 1859 the troops 
destroyed the fortifications of Saigon, in Cochin-China, 
leaving a garrison in one of the forts of the river. 
Then in the summer came news of the war with 
Austria, and a pestilential sickness which began to 
decimate the French forces. Nevertheless, hostilities 
were resumed against the Annamites in the autumn 
and continued till April, 1860, when, to the astonish- 
ment of everyone, the French retreated, and abandoned 
all the points which they had previously occupied." 

Then follows a long comment on this retirement of 
the French troops, ending with, '* 'Man proposes, and 
God disposes.' An expedition undertaken by the iron 
will of the Emperor Napoleon III., and confided to 
such a man as Admiral Rigault de Genouilly, ought 
to have been crowned with success. But what are 
human probabilities to the Divine decrees? God has 
permitted that our deliverance should be delayed, and 
our Church still further purified by suflFering." 

"The Annamite government, seeing the French 
leave their shores, determined once for all to extir- 
pate the Catholic faith throughout the kingdom. 
Mandarins in any way favorable to the Catholics 
were dismissed, and replaced by others whose hatred 
was well known. Crosses were placed at the entrance 
to all villages that the Christians might be forced to 
trample them. Horribly blasphemous verses were 
chanted, declaring that Zato, the Annamite name of 
'Jesus,' had a dog for his father ; and men were found 
vile enough to carve crucifixes with a figure of a dog 
on one side and a woman on the other, so as to de- 
grade to the utmost the God of the Christians." He 



168 A Modern Martyr 

alludes to other blasphemies even worse, and contin- 
ues, "The government has established in each canton 
a new functionary, who is called 'the shepherd of 
the flock' (you may imagine he should rather be 
called the 'wolf'), and in each mayoralty an officer 
styled 'the strong man of the village/ Both these 
men are employed in hunting down the unhappy 
'ZatOy or followers of Christ, who, being beyond the 
pale of law and justice, are exposed to every species 
of ignominy, suffering, and wrong, without hope of 
redress. Then there is a curious law in this country 
which makes a whole village suffer for the offense of 
one member. Therefore if a priest is found in a 
place, especially a European, the town is razed to the 
ground, half the inhabitants put to death, the rest 
scattered to the four winds, while the mayor or chief 
functionaries will be exiled and degraded if they have 
concealed the white man, or will receive a large sum of 
money if they have betrayed him. Who could resist 
such a temptation? 

"Again, on account of the destruction of our col- 
lege, more than twelve hundred young men are 
without home or occupation, not daring to return to 
their families (if they have any), and wandering from 
one Christian mission to another till they almost 
inevitably fall into the hands of the persecutors. 
Scarcely one of these has yielded to the cruelty or 
blandishments of his tormentors, and the Church 
may indeed be proud of having engendered such noble 
confessors of the faith. But you see, dear friend, 
how impossible it is for us, pastors of the flock, to 
console our poor, suffering children or break the 
bread of life for them. We are compelled to hide 
ourselves and leave our lambs to the wolves. And 
then in this country the more insolent the nobles 



Theophane Venard 169 

are, the more cowardly are the people, who become 
practically slaves. The women, too, are treated as 
children without souls; and although they are models 
of chastity and of zeal for the faith, they are so 
frightened that they almost lose their senses. It is 
only the nuns, who have had a longer and more 
careful Christian training, who can calmly brave the 
persecutors. When the French squadron appeared in 
1859, the officials here persuaded themselves that the 
missioners had sent for it and that we were in league 
with the rebels to upset the reigning dynasty and to 
help on the revolution. They therefore seized the 
principal Christians in each village and threw them 
into prison, a terrible blow to the poor of the congre- 
gation, who had no longer any protectors whatever 
against their cruel oppressors. Out of seventy 
Annamite priests in this district, ten have already 
earned the martyr's palm ; seven others are waiting in 
prison for the moment when death shall put an end 
to their torments. More than a thousand priests and 
laymen are exiled in the mountains. 

"I began this letter in a little hiding-place in the 
midst of a fervent Christian population. In vain 
the mandarin, who has the hatred of a demon against 
Christ, has employed every possible agent to destroy 
or weaken their faith. He has failed because the 
whole population is of one mind and he cannot put 
all the people to death. To revenge himself he sends 
bands of young pagans to announce his arrival, to 
seize and gag the young girls, and to commit every 
species of atrocity. When he does not come, they 
are released only on payment of immense sums. So 
our Christians are always on the qui vive : to escape 
these horrors, men, women, and children flee to the 
rice-fields, and remain night and day concealed in 



170 A Modern Martyr 

mud and water. Sometimes the poor girls have been 
brought back to us half dead with the cold from this 
kind of exposure. One day the mandarin announced 
his visit, and his satellites were carrying on their 
work of pillage and brutality in every house. Suddenly 
they discovered one of our hiding-places, which, 
happily, was empty. They made a great fuss about 
this, and next morning, sent masons, with spades and 
hoes, to dig in every Christian house until they could 
find us. But Providence watched over us and we 
made our escape. I am now in the midst of pagans, 
not knowing what is going to happen next. They 
appear kind and benevolent; but God alone can read 
to the bottom of their hearts. They have a high 
idea of hospitality, and would hardly wrong a stranger 
who has come so far to seek it. Perhaps God has 
chosen such protectors so that the light of Gospel 
truth may shine upon them. Dear old friend! as I 
write this, the thought of all our misfortunes nearly 
overwhelms me, and I can hardly restrain my tears. 
• Before this terrible persecution our mission was so 
flourishing! so many souls were being harvested! 
And now I feel like Jeremiah groaning over the 
ruins of Jerusalem. Will these ruins ever be rebuilt? 
It is like EzekieFs vision of the dry bones. Can 
they ever be resuscitated? I have given you a simi- 
mary of our misfortunes, but they are aggravated 
by a multitude of little circumstances which I should 
only weary you by enumerating. 'Magna est velut 
mare contritio tua!''f 

"But as for myself, dearest friend, I have confidence 
in God that I shall accomplish my course, preserving 

tGreat as the ocean is thy sorrow. 



Theophane Venard 171 

intact the deposit of Faith, Hope, and Charity; and 
that finally, by the merits of our Lord, I shall share 
with His friends the crown of the just. I wrote to 
my father in June, 1859, but I fear the letter has 
never reached him. Send him this one, and let him 
feel it is as if written to himself ; and ask him to re- 
double his prayers for his poor little child-missioner. 
Dear father! he must be getting old now! I cannot 
help being anxious for tidings of him and all ; for two 
years I have heard nothing. 

"Dearest Melanie, — I meant to have written a sep- 
arate letter to you, as also to my brothers; but this 
one must do for you all. I have had no news of you 
since December, 1858; but I do not doubt that you 
have written, and perhaps a few months hence I may 
get your letters. Adieu ! and God bless you, my much- 
loved ones. May you become greater saints day by 
day. — Your own devoted 

Theophane." 

"I commend myself especially to your prayers." 

The contents of this letter, and especially its con- 
clusion, point to the sad but glorious end which was at 
hand. The missioners, hunted like wild beasts, could 
no longer find a place of shelter; it is inconceivable 
how they could have endured their trials and misfor- 
tunes so long. In the meantime, Fr. Titaud, ex- 
hausted by the underground life which he had been 
compelled to lead for two years, expired on the 29th of 
January, 1860. Fr. Neron, betrayed into the hands of 
the enemy, underwent the torture of the knout, and 
was thrown into prison, where he remained for three 
months, of which twenty-one days were spent without 
any other nourishment than a few drops of water in 



172 A Modern Martyr 

the morning. At last he was beheaded, and thus ful- 
filled a curious prophecy which had been made con- 
cerning him at Paris in 1848. 

'Tr. Neron has left us/' writes Bishop Theurel, 
"and has passed from the battle-field to the rank of 
martyr; Fr. Venard is taking the same road and will 
soon be with him in Heaven." The heroic close of 
this young apostle's life must form the subject of 
another chapter. 



Theophane Venard 173 



CHAPTER XTV. 
Arrest and Martyrdom. 

The letter contained in the preceding chapter was 
written in May, 1860. Of the events that followed, 
Bishop Theurel says, — 

"Fr. Venard was living in a pagan village, preaching 
and teaching with great success, although the people 
said that, to declare themselves Christians, they must 
wait till the persecution had ceased a little. But 
when the chief of the province intimated that he 
considered him as his prisoner, Fr. Venard went on 
to the Christian village of Ke-Beo. He found super- 
stitions of all kinds rampant in this place, and re- 
mained, desiring, as he said, 'a hand-to-hand fight with 
the devil.' God crowned his labors with wonderful 
success; after a few months the whole character of 
the place was changed, and a fervent Christian popu- 
lation replaced the timid, superstitious flock which he 
had found on his arrival. After this, he spent twenty 
days in the village of Kem-Bang, strengthening and 
consoling the terrified Christians, and incessantly 
teaching and administering the Sacraments. He went 
on then to But-Son, one of our noted missions in this 
terrible thirty years' persecution. In this village he 
found a devout native priest, and with him worked 
wonders among the people. Bishop Jeantet joined 
him here; and a few days after, Fr. Venard, leaving 
the venerable bishop in safety in this almost impreg- 



174 A Modern Martyr 

nable fortress, went back to Ke-Beo. The good 
eflfects of his previous visit were still apparent, and 
Fr. Venard thought that he might remain in peace, 
to complete the good work. But he promised his 
catechist, Luong, that he would return very shortly 
to the safer refuge of But-Dong, as everyone was 
extremely anxious about his safety. These were 
indeed critical days. 

*'On the 30th of November, about nine o'clock in 
the morning, five or six junks, carrying about twenty 
men, appeared a few yards from the missioner's 
house. As it was an isolated building, and the floods 
covered the whole country, these junks were able to 
guard every avenue. They were led by an old chief 
of a neighboring hamlet, named Cai-D6, the same 
who in 1854 had contrived the escape of Fr. Neron 
from the custom-house, but who now came on a 
totally different errand. Leaving his junks, he 
marched with five or six of his men to the mission 
house. Fr. Venard, instantly realizing the whole plot, 
had retired between the usual double walls. The 
chief, arriving at the house, cried out, 'Let the 
European priest come forth.' At these words, the 
catechist, Khang, who was busy hiding Fr. Venard's 
property, came forward boldly, and said, Tt is I 
who inhabit this house, although I have only lately 
arrived. If you will leave me in peace I shall be 
thankful; but if not, I shall be resigned.' The chief, 
making a signal to his men to garotte the catechist, 
marched straight into the house, and giving a great 
kick to the thin double partition which concealed the 
missioner, seized Fr. Venard, and dragged him 
brutally to the junks, with his servant. It was a very 
fine capture accomplished with no risk whatever. By 
the time the faithful villagers of Ke-Beo heard a 



Theophane Venard 175 

rumor of the event, the junks were well out of sight 
with their prey, and rescue was impossible. You may 
wish to know, dear Eusebius, who was the Judas that 
betrayed our dearest brother and Christ's chosen 
minister. There are different reports, but the most 
probable is that which fixes the treachery on Su-D6i, 
a pagan, related to the widow with whom the missioner 
lodged. 

"The chief, having carried off the prisoners safely 
to his own home, made a great feast of rejoicing, after 
which he drove our dear missioner into a cage of 
bamboo, and put a ^cangue' on the neck of the cate- 
chist. Thus he took them to the prefecture. He 
stated that, when patrolling with his junks, he had 
come on these two men outside the jurisdiction of 
Ke-Beo, and had hastened to bring them before the 
mandarin. He said this because he looked for a large 
reward, and also because the chief of Ke-Beo was his 
own son-in-law, who would either share the booty or 
lose his place. But his ruse did not answer, for every 
one knew that the missioner was seized at Ke-Beo; 
and as a consequence that village was heavily fined 
and had to pay more than eight hundred bars of 
silver, of which our poor community bore half. From 
his cage, Fr. Venard penned the following letter, 
which I enclose with this one: 

'''December 3, 1860. 
" 'My dearest People, — God in His mercy has per- 
mitted me to fall into the hands of the wicked. On 
the Feast of St. Andrew I was put in a square cage 
and carried to the prefecture, whence I trace these 
few lines for you, with some difficulty, by the aid of 
a paint-brush. To-morrow, December 4th, I am to 
appear before the judge. God knows what awaits 



176 A Modern Martyr 

me, but I do not fear. The grace of the Most High 
will be with me, and my Mother Mary will protect her 
poor little servant. I hope I shall be allowed writing 
materials ; but I profit by this occasion, which a good 
pagan has given me, to send you love from my prison. 
The people of the household of the sub-prefect are 
full of kindness and attentions toward me, so I suffer 
very little. They come and visit me continually and 
allow me to speak freely. I take advantage of the 
opportunity to instruct them in the Christian faith. 
Many have owned to me their entire belief in our 
Creed, and say that the religion of Jesus Christ is 
the only one conformable to reason, and that if it were 
not for fear of the king and his terrible edicts they 
would gladly become Christians. 

** 'Well, here I am in the arena of the Confessors 
for the Faith. Certainly God chooses the poor and 
weak things of this world to confound the mighty ! I 
have confidence that the news of my fight will be 
equally that of my victory, for I do not lean on my 
own strength, but on the strength of Him who has 
overcome the powers of death and hell. I think of 
you all, my dearest father, my beloved sister, and 
brothers ; and if I obtain the grace of martyrdom, oh, 
then still more shall I have you in remembrance! 
[Adieu, my best loved ones, till our meeting in Heaven ! 
In a moment I shall be adorned with the confessor's 
chains. Once more, adieu !' " 

"The mandarin," wrote Bishop Theurel at this trying 
time, ''was far from pleased at the arrival of the pris- 
oners. Like Pilate, he protested loudly against 
taking innocent blood, and declared that the sin and 
the odium would fall on the heads of the captors, that 
for himself he kept the prisoners only because he did 
not dare to let them go. He was most civil to Fr. 



Theophane Venard 177 

Venard, and changed his bamboo cage for a far 
more comfortable one of wood, higher and wider, so 
that the prisoner could put himself in any position he 
pleased. He also had a very light chain made for 
him, weighing only two pounds and a half; and this 
valued chain is now in my possession; our dear 
prisoner wore no other till his death. The prefect 
carried his condescension to the length of asking the 
missioner to dine in the audience chamber like a 
free man. After this a detachment of fifty or a 
hundred soldiers arrived to escort the prisoners to the 
capital, and the prefect sent with them a long letter 
explaining the circumstances of their arrest by the 
chief Do, who formed part of the convoy." 

Arrived at the capital, Fr. Venard found means to 
write again to his family. We give this letter in full : 

''January 2, 1861. 
**My dearest Father^ Sister, and Brothers, — I 
write to you at the beginning of this year, which will 
be my last on earth. I hope you got the little note 
which I wrote announcing my capture on the Feast 
of St. Andrew. God permitted me to be betrayed by 
a traitor, but I owe him no grudge. From that village 
I sent you a few lines of farewell before I had the 
criminars chain fastened on my feet and neck. I 
have kissed that chain, a true link which binds me to 
Jesus and Mary, and which I would not exchange 
for its weight in gold. The mandarin had the kindness 
to have a light one made for me, and treated me, 
during my stay in his prefecture, with every possible 
consideration. His brother came at least ten times 
and tried to persuade me to trample the Cross under 
foot. He did not want to see me die so young! 
12 



178 A Modern Martyr 

When I left the prefecture to go on to the capital, 
an immense crowd came to witness my departure; 
in spite of the guards and the mandarins, one man, 
a young Christian, was not afraid to throw himself 
on his knees three times before my cage, imploring 
my blessing, and declaring me to be a messenger 
sent from Heaven. He was of course made prisoner. 

"After a couple of days I arrived at Kecho, the 
ancient capital of the kings of Tong-king. Can you 
fancy me sitting quietly in the centre of my wooden 
cage, borne by eight soldiers, in the midst of an 
innumerable crowd of people, who almost barred the 
passage of the troops. I heard some of them saying, 
*What a pretty boy that European is !' 'He is gay and 
bright, as if he were going to a feast!' 'He doesn't 
look a bit afraid !' 'Certainly he can't have done any- 
thing wrong!' 'He came to our country to do us 
good and yet they will put him to death!' etc., etc. 
We entered the citadel by the eastern gate and I was 
brought at once before the tribunal of the judge 
of criminal cases. My catechist Khang, bearing his 
terrible yoke, walked behind my cage. I prayed 
God's Holy Spirit to strengthen us both and to speak 
by our mouths according to our Savior's promise; 
and I invoked the Queen of Martyrs and begged her 
to help her faithful child. 

"To begin with, the judge gave me a cup of tea, 
which I drank without ceremony in my cage. Then 
he commenced the usual interrogatory: 

"'Whence do you come?' 'I am from the Great 
West, from the country of France.' 

" 'What have you come to do in Annam ?' 'I have 
come to preach the true religion to those who know 
it not.' 



Theophane Venard 179 

"What is your age?' 'Thirty-one/ The judge 
here said aside, with an accent of pity, Toor fellow! 
he is still very young!' Then he continued, 'Who 
sent you here?' 'Neither the king nor the mandarins 
of France; but I myself, of my own accord, came to 
preach the Gospel to the heathen, and my superiors 
in religion assigned Annam to me as my district.' 

'* 'Do you know the bishop called, in the Annamite 
language, Lieowf (Bishop Retord.) 'Yes, I know 
him.' 

" 'Why did he give letters of recommendation to 
the rebel chiefs to enroll the Christians?' 

"I ventured to ask the mandarin in reply, 'From 
what source did you derive that information?' 

" 'The prefect of Nam-Digne wrote us word of it.' 

" 'Well, then, I can bear witness that it is not true. 
The Bishop was too wise to commit so foolish an act, 
and if letters were produced to prove it, I should 
know that they were false. I saw the circular which 
Bishop Lieow addressed to his priests, in which he 
positively forbade their joining the rebel chiefs and 
declared that he would a thousand times sooner sac- 
rifice his life than dip his crozier in blood.' 

" 'And the warriors of Europe, who took Touranne 
and Saigon, — who sent them? What was their object 
in making war on our country?' 

" 'Mandarin— I heard the rumors of war ; but 
having no communication with these European troops, 
I cannot answer your question.' 

"At this part of the interrogatory the prefect ar- 
rived, and he had hardly taken his seat when he cried 
out to me, in a loud and angry voice, — 

" 'Ah ! you chief of the Christian religion, you have 
a clever countenance, you know very well that the 
Annamite laws forbid entrance into the kingdom to 



180 A Modern Martyr 

Europeans; what was the use, then, of coming here 
to be killed? It is you who have excited the Euro- 
peans to make war upon us, is it not? Speak the 
truth, or I will put you to the torture/ 

" 'Great mandarin, you ask me two questions. To 
the first I reply that I am sent as an ambassador from 
Heaven to preach the true religion to those who scorn 
it not, no matter in what kingdom, or in what place. 
We respect the authority of kings on the earth, but we 
respect more the authority of the King of Heaven. To 
your second question I answer that I never in any 
way invited or excited the Europeans to make war 
on the Annamite kingdom.' 

" 'In that case will you tell them to go? And you 
will then obtain your pardon.' 

'* 'Great mandarin ! I have no power and no au- 
thority in such matters, but if His Majesty sends me 
I will beg the European warriors to abstain from 
making war on the Annamites ; and if I do not succeed, 
I will return here to suffer death.' 

" 'You do not fear death, then ?' 

" 'Great mandarin ! I do not fear death, I have 
come here to preach the true religion. I am guilty of 
no crime which deserves death. But if the Anna- 
mites kill me, I shall shed my blood with great joy 
for them.' 

" 'Have you any spite or ill-will against the man 
who betrayed and took you prisoner?' 

" 'None at all. The Christian religion forbids us 
to entertain anger, and teaches us to love those who 
hate us.' 

" 'Chief of the Christian religion ! You must de- 
clare the names of all the places and people that have 
sheltered you up to this hour.' 

" 'Great mandarin ! They call you the father and 



Theophane Venard 181 

mother of this people. If I were to make such a 
declaration it would involve a large number of persons 
in untold misery. Judge for yourself whether it 
would become me to do this or not.' 

" Trample the Cross under foot, then, and you shall 
not be put to death.' 

" 'How ! I have preached the religion of the 
Cross all my life until this day, and do you expect 
me to abjure it now? I do not esteem so highly the 
pleasures of this life as to be willing to buy the 
preservation of it by apostasy.* 

*' 'If death has such a charm in your eyes, why did 
you hide yourself when there was fear of your being 
taken?' 

" 'Great mandarin ! Our religion forbids us to 
presume on our strength, and to deliver ourselves to 
the persecutors. But Heaven having permitted my 
arrest, I have confidence in God that He will give me 
sufficient courage to suffer all torture and be con- 
stant unto death.' 

"This is a summary of the questions asked me, and 
of my answers. The mandarins then proceeded to 
question my catechist and inflicted ten strokes of the 
knout upon him. He bore them without flinching, 
God giving him strength all the while gloriously to 
confess the faith. 

"Since that day I have been placed in my cage at 
the door of the prefect's house, guarded by a 
company of Cochin-Chinese soldiers. A great many 
persons of rank have come to visit me and converse 
with me. They will have it that I am a doctor, 
an astronomer, a diviner, a prophet, from whom 
nothing is hid. Several visitors have begged me to 
tell their fortunes. Then they question me about 
Europe, about France, in fact, about the whole world. 



182 A Modern Martyr 

This g^ves me an opportunity to enlighten them a 
little on points about which they are supremely ig- 
norant, and on which they have. sometimes the most 
comical ideas. I try above everything to slip in a 
little serious w^ord now and then so as to teach 
them the way of salvation. But the Annamites are 
a frivolous race, and don't like serious subjects; 
still less will they treat on philosophy or religion. On 
the other hand, their heart is good, and they do 
their best to show me both interest and sympathy. 
My soldier guards have an affection for me, and 
though they have been blamed two or three times 
for letting me go out, they still open my cage from 
time to time, and allow me to take a little walk. . . . 
Sometimes their conversation is not very proper, 
but I never let pass words of that sort; and I do 
not hesitate to speak to them strongly. I tell them 
that they low^er themselves in the eyes of everyone 
by 'mpure Noughts and libertine discourses ; and that 
if th^y can talk in that way without blushing, they 
deserve nothing but pity, not to say contempt. My 
lessons make an impression. They are far more care- 
ful in their language now, and some have gone to the 
length of begging my pardon for having made use of 
indelicate expressions. Still I cannot say that every- 
thing is sw^eet and pleasant; although many are kind 
to me, some insult and mock me, and use rough 
language to me. May God forgive them! 

''I am now only waiting patiently for the day when 
God will allow me to offer Him the sacrifice of my 
blood. I do not regret leaving this world; my soul 
thirsts for the waters of eternal life. My exile is 
over. I touch the soil of my real country; earth 
vanishes, Heaven opens, I go to God. Adieu, dearest 
father, sister, brothers, do not mourn for me, do 



Theophane Venard 183 

not weep for me, live the years that are yet left 
to you on earth in unity and love. Practice your 
religion; keep pure from all sin. We shall meet 
again in Heaven, and shall enjoy true happiness in 
the kingdom of God. Adieu. I should like to write 
to each one separately but I cannot, and you know 
my heart. It is three long, weary years since I have 
heard from you, and I know not who is taken or 
who is left. Adieu. The prisoner of Jesus Christ 
salutes you. In a very short time the sacrifice will 
be consummated. May God have you always in His 
holy keeping. Amen.'' 

Fr. Venard's particular friend, Bishop Theurel, took 
charge of this letter, and added, '*The sentence of 
our dearest Theophane has been pronounced. He is 
to be beheaded, but the execution will probably be 
delayed till the middle of February. In the meantime 
he wants for nothing. And though in chains, he is 
as gay in his cage as a little bird. 

''As I was the nearest missioner to Kecho, being 
only one day's march from the capital, I was naturally 
able to write to him three or four times. Bishop 
Jeantet and Fr. Saiget wrote likewise; and our dear 
prisoner was able to answer us pretty regularly. Our 
medium of communication was a native Christian, the 
head of the patrol, a man true as steel, named Huong- 
Moi, whose house had been my refuge for two 
months and who had mingled with the troop of ser- 
vants at the prefecture, and obtained his present post 
out of devotion to our sufferer. On the 28th of 
December, Theophane wrote, — 

" 'The mandarins wrote four days ago to announce 
my capture to the king, but no answer has yet been 



184 A Modern Martyr 

received. They made me sign a written declaration of 
the circumstances of my arrest, countersigned by my 
catechist Khang. I have taken care that it shall com- 
promise no one. I am pretty well treated, and some 
of the Cochin-Chinese soldiers are noble fellows. But 
as I am kept at the door of the prefecture, I write 
with difficulty. The great mandarin allows three- 
pence a day for my food and I am in fairly good 
health. My heart is as tranquil as a lake which re- 
flects the blue sky and I have no fear. The mandarin 
of Nam-Xang, who spends his life tormenting the 
Christians, came to see me the other day, and I told 
him that "J^sus was stronger than he; that it was in 
vain he struggled with our Lord, and that he would 
have to yield to His power in the end.'* The gaoler 
Tu, who seized four priests in 1859, asked after you. 
I told him publicly that "his was a vile trade; and 
that his diploma as mandarin of the ninth class, the 
price of treachery and blood, would fade as a wild- 
flower in the Spring." At this the mandarin, judge, 
and all the guards laughed and applauded. I think 
they like and respect me, and the great mandarin has 
twice invited me to dinner.' 

"On the 3rd of January he wrote again: T have 
received your loving letter. A thousand thanks! I 
profit by the absence of the great mandarin to answer. 
He used to allow threepence for my food, but now he 
has stopped it. So I should have gone supperless to 
bed to-day if the chief Mai, who is also in prison, 
had not sent me a bowl of rice. The new mandarin 
of justice came to see me yesterday and put me 
through a fresh interrogation. When he said that 
the happiness of the next world was doubtful, while 
the joys of the present were certain and positive, I 
replied, *As for me, great mandarin, I find nothing 



Theophane Venard 185 

on earth which gives real happiness; riches create 
envy and bring cares ; sensual pleasures engender end- 
less maladies. My heart is too large, and nothing 
which you call happiness in this world satisfies it.' 
On the whole, he was not uncivil. As he said that he 
had given orders to have me well treated, I replied 
that I had nothing to eat. He pretended not to un- 
derstand me. So to-morrow the captain of the guard 
says that he will go and renew the demand. In 
spite of his fine speeches, this mandarin has doubled 
my guard, and sends some one constantly to see if 
my cage is closed. Among the gaolers is an excellent 
fellow named Tien, who shows me the most affection- 
ate respect. He alone, with one of the captains, is 
not afraid, in addressing me, to make use of the ex- 
pression ''Bam lay" — a term of reverence used only 
to address mandarins or persons of high position. 
On New Year's Day the captain of the guard brought 
me a cup of first-class tea, and as the gaoler Tien was 
passing at the time, I invited him to share it with me, 
which he did with a delicacy and a simplicity which 
only the heart could teach, and which hypocrisy could 
not counterfeit. But my letter runs on without a word 
as to my feelings. I wrote a long letter to my family 
on very bad paper, which I hope you received and will 
kindly forward to them, filling up the details which 
may be wanting. Ah ! I am now come to the hour so 
much desired by us all. It is no longer, as in the 
"Hymn of Departure," ''Perhaps some day," but 
"Very soon all the blood in my veins 

Will be shed for Thee. My feet — oh, what joy ! — 
Are now loaded with chains." 

" Tn the long, weary hours in my cage I think of 



186 A Modern Martyr 

eternity. Time is, after all, so short when thus meas- 
ured. You will repeat the words of St. Martin, 
''Domine, si adhuc populo tuo sum necessarius, non 
recuso lahoremf''\ while I can exclaim with St. Paul, 
''Jam delihor; et tempus resolutionis meae instat; 
(tibi) vivere Christus est, mihi mori lucrum. O ! quam 
gloriosum est regnum in quo cum Ch/risto gaudent 
omnes sancti. . . . Audizn vocem . . . Beati mortui 
...":{: These are words which, in spite of the per- 
secution, we never failed to sing on All Saints' and 
All Souls' Day, and which always touched us to 
tears. I do not know if I shall ever be allowed to 
write to you again. Good-bye! I should have been 
very happy to have gone on working with you. I do 
so love this Tong-king mission ! But now, in place of 
the sweat of my brow, I give it my blood. The 
sword hangs over my head but I have no fears. Our 
good God has taken pity on my weakness and filled 
me with Himself so that I am happy, and even joy- 
ous. From time to time I astonish the mandarin's 
household by singing, — 

"O beloved Mother, 

Place me 
Soon in our true home 
Near Thee! 
Noble Tong-king! land blessed by God! 

Thou glorious country of the heroes of faith ! 
I came to serve thee. I gladly die for thee. 
So be it, O Lord. Amen." 

to Lord, if I am still needful to Thy people, I will not refuse to labor. 

tl go now; the time of my dissolution is at hand. (For you) to live 
is Christ ; for me to die is gain. O, how glorious is the kingdom 
in which all the saints rejoice with Christ. . . I heard a voice . . . 
Blessed are the dead . . . 



! 



Theophane Venard 187 

'' 'When my head falls under the axe of the execu- 
tioner, receive it, O loving Jesus! O Immaculate 
Mother! as the bunch of ripe grapes which falls 
under the scissors, as the full-blown rose which has 
been gathered in your honor. Ave Maria! I will 
say this also from you. Ave Maria!' (I had begged 
him with earnestness to salute Mary for me on his 
arrival in Paradise.) 

" 'I should be very grateful if you could manage 
to send some remembrance of me to my family. My 
chalice was a family parting souvenir; if my 
brother Eusebius could have it, he would be in the 
seventh heaven of delight. . . Oh, how glorious 
must be the kingdom in which the Saints rejoice with 
Jesus Christ our Lord ! I heard a voice from Heaven 
saying, ''Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord." ' 

"By this letter, written by your brother on the 3rd 
of January," continues Bishop Theurel, "you see that 
the mandarins had ceased to feed the prisoner of 
Jesus Christ. This was what we expected; so we 
directly employed a Christian widow, named Nghien, 
who happened to be a sister of the great mandarin's 
cook, to provide all that was necessary for him; and 
in that way we could have more frequent communi- 
cations. On the 6th of January he wrote again : — 

" T have just received your good wishes for the 
new year. Thanks! Yes; for once I have indeed a 
lucky chance. I ought to have sent you my affection- 
ate wishes sooner but you will forgive the delay. A 
happy new year to my dear, reverend Bishop ! Peace 
and labor, and then an eternal repose in the bosom 
of the Saviour! . . During the absence of the man- 
darin prefect, his wife, a young girl from Kecho, re- 
cently married, came to pay me a visit ; but when she 
saw me come out of my cage, she ran away like a 



188 A Modern Martyr 

child! I sent for her, and called her back as gently 
as I could ; but when she did return she was so fright- 
ened that she could not open her mouth. Monseig- 
neur, you must work at this — at the education of 
woman, to raise her from her present servile position, 
to establish schools for young girls, to teach them 
the beauty and grandeur of Christian womanhood. , . 
Let us say together once more, ''Tuus totus ego 
sum, et omnia mea tua sunt/' 'f 

"Just at this time, in the prison of Kecho, was 
an Annamite priest, named Khoan, who is there 
still. I was hoping that Theophane might be allowed 
to see him; but as their meeting seemed impossible, I 
sent the good Father Tinh, vicar of the parish of 
Kecho, to comfort our dear prisoner. Huong Moi, 
that faithful head of the patrol whom I have before 
mentioned, undertook to introduce him into the man- 
darin's palace, and even to the cage of Fr. Venard. 
The meeting took place on the 15th of January, in 
presence of the guards and of a whole crowd of 
people, the suite of the mandarins, who filled the hall. 
Your brother, pretending not to recognize Father 
Tinh, asked the chief of the patrol, 'Who is the gen- 
tleman that came in with you just now?' *It is the 
thay-ca/ replied Huong Moi. (This expression sig- 
nifies either a priest or the head of a family.) Poor 
Father Tinh felt his heart sink into his shoes at this 
word. But Huong Moi, who laughed at danger, 
made jokes with the people around, so as to hide the 
confusion of the priest and divert the people's atten- 
tion. Fr. Venard, being formally introduced as to a 
stranger, was let out of his cage, and allowed to walk 
in the garden, where he instantly made his confession, 

tl ira all Thine, and all that belongs to me is Thine. 



Theophane Venard 189 

none of the guards having followed him. When Fr. 
Venard came back to his cage, Huong Moi made a 
fresh and a successful effort to amuse the assistants, 
during which time Father Tinh approached the cage, 
as if for the purpose of examining it, and said a few 
words in a low voice to Fr. Venard, giving him abso- 
lution. Then he walked quietly away. Your poor 
brother gave them all some tea afterwards, and took 
leave of Father Tinh. The latter had brought the 
Blessed Sacrament, and left It with the devout widow 
of whom I have spoken. She carried It to Fr. Venard 
in the evening, concealed in some bread. He there- 
fore could enjoy the presence of our dear Lord till 
midnight, after which he communicated. In a letter 
to Bishop Jeantet, written on the 20th of January, 
Theophane says with emotion, — 

" 'Father Tinh will tell you of his visit, when I 
gave him some tea in the midst of all the crowd. He 
brought me, on the other hand, the Bread of the trav- 
eller, — ''Mi Jesus, Deus meus/''f in my cage ! Think 
of that!' Then he goes on to say, T have not re- 
ceived a single stroke of the knout. I have had 
very little insult, and much sympathy; no one here 
wishes me to die. The people of the household of the 
great mandarin are kindness itself to me. I have suf- 
fered nothing in comparison with my brethren. I 
have only to lay my head quietly on the block, under 
the axe of the executioner, and at once I shall find 
myself in the presence of Our Lord, saying, "Here am 
I, O Lord! Thy little martyr!'' I shall present my 

tMy Jesus, my God. 



190 A Modem Martyr 

palm to Our Lady, and say, "Hail, Mary ! my Mother 
and my Mistress, all hail !'' And I shall take my place 
in the ranks of the thousands killed for the holy name 
of Jesus; and I shall intone the eternal Hosanna! 
Amen/ 

"I enclose the last letters, written to you all, which 
are of the same date as mine. It is impossible, I 
think, for any one to read them unmoved." 

"J. M. J.f 

"From my Cage, Kecho, 

''January 20, 1861. 
"My dearest, much honored, and' much 
xovED Father, — As my sentence is still delayed, I 
will send you one more word of farewell, which will 
probably be the last. These last days in my prison 
pass quietly; all who surround me are civil and re- 
spectful and a good many love me. From the great 
mandarin down to the humblest private soldier, every 
one regrets that the laws of the country condemn me 
to death. I have not been put to the torture like my 
brethren. A slight sabre-cut will separate my head 
from my body, like the spring flower which the Master 
of the Garden gathers for His pleasure. We are 
all flowers planted on this earth, which God plucks 
in His own good time, some a little sooner, some a 
little later. One is as the blushing rose, another the 
virginal lily, a third the humble violet. Let us each 
strive to please Our Sovereign Lord and Master ac- 
cording to the gift and the sweetness which He has 
bestowed upon us. I wish you, my dearest father, a 

tjesus, Mary, Joseph, 



Theophane Venard 191 

long, happy, and peaceful old age, and that you may 
bear the cross of life with Jesus unto the Calvary of 
a happy death. Father and son, may we meet in 
paradise. I, poor little moth, go first. Adieu ! 
''Your devoted and dutiful son, 
'Theophane Venard, Missionary Apostolic/' 

"J. M. J. 

"From my Cage, in Tong-king, 

''January 20, 1861. 

"My dearest Sister, — I wrote, some days ago, a 
general letter to the family, which I hope has reached 
you, and in which I gave all the details of my capture 
and interrogatory. Now, as my last hour is approach- 
ing, I want to send you, my darling sister and friend, 
a special word of love and farewell. For our hearts 
have been one from our childhood. You have never 
had a secret from me, nor I from you. When, as a 
school-boy, I used to leave home for college, it was 
my little Melanie who prepared my box, and softened 
with her tender words the pain of parting. It was 
you who shared in the sorrows and joys of my col- 
lege life; it was you who strengthened my vocation 
for the foreign missions. It was with you, dearest 
Melanie, that I passed that solemn night of the 26th 
of February, 1851, which was our last meeting upon 
earth, and which we spent in a conversation so full 
of intimate thoughts and feehngs of sympathy and 
holy hope, that it reminded me of the farewell of St. 
Benedict and St. Scholastica. 

"And when I crossed the seas, and came to water 
with sweat and blood this Annamite country, your 



192 A Modern Martyr 

letters were my strength, my joy, and my consola- 
tion. It is then only fair that, in this last hour, your 
brother should think of you, and send to you a few 
final words of love and never-dying remembrance. 
... It is midnight. Around my wooden cage I see 
nothing but banners and long sabres. In one corner 
of the hall, where my cage is placed, a group of 
soldiers are playing at cards; another group at 
'draughts/ From time to time the sentries strike 
the hours of night on their drums or 'tom-toms.' 
About two feet from my cage, a feeble oil-lamp throws 
a vacillating light on this sheet of Chinese paper and 
enables me to trace these few lines. 

"From day to day I expect my sentence. Perhaps 
to-morrow I shall be led to execution. Happy death, 
which conducts me to the portals of eternal life! 
According to all human probability, I shall be be- 
headed, — a glorious shame, of which Heaven will be 
the price! At this news, darling sister, you will shed 
tears, — ^but they should be of joy! Think of your 
brother, wearing the aureole of the martyrs, and 
bearing in his hand the palm of victory ! Only a few 
short hours, and my soul will quit this earth, will 
finish her exile, will have done with the fight. I 
shall mount upwards and reach our own true home. 
There, in that abode of God's elect, I shall see what 
the eyes of man cannot imagine; hear harmonies 
which his ear cannot dream of now ; enjoy a happiness 
which it has never entered into his heart even to 
conceive ! 

*'But before arriving at all this, the grain of wheat 
must be ground, — the bunch of grapes must be trod- 
den in the wine-press. May I become only pure bread 
and wine, fit for the Master's use! I hope for this, 
through the mercies of my Saviour and Redeemer, 







*• melanie;- 

A Nun at Amiens. 



Theophane Venard 193 

through the protection of His Immaculate Mother. 
So I venture, while still in the arena and in the midst 
of the fight, to intone the hymn of triumph, as if I 
were sure of victory. And you, my dearest sister, I 
leave you in the field of virtues and good works. 
Reap a great harvest of these for the eternal life 
which awaits us both. Gather faith, hope, charity, 
patience, gentleness, sweetness, perseverance, and a 
holy death; and we shall be together, now and for- 
evermore. Good-bye, my Melanie! Good-bye, my 
loved sister! Adieu! Your devoted brother, 

J. T. Venard, Missionary Apostolic.'' 

"J. M. J. 

''January 20, 1861. 
"My Dearest Henry, — I must send you also a few 
lines of brotherly love and farewell. You were very 
young when we parted, and a stranger to the world 
and its pleasures. Ah ! the heart of man is too large 
to be satisfied with the deceptive and passing joys here 
below, and I know you will not seek happiness where 
it is not to be found. My dearest Henry, you are now 
twenty-nine, the age of manhood. Be, then, a man. 
Do not waste your life in the frivolities of the world. 
To resist one's evil inclinations, to watch against the 
snare of the Evil One, and to practise one's religion — 
is to be really a man ; not to do so, is to be less than 
a man. I write these words to you at a solemn 
moment. In a few hours — at most, in a few days — I 
shall be put to death for the faith in Christ Jesus. 
Yes, my own dear brother, I die with the conviction 
that you will always love God, as you have loved 
Him in your childhood. He is the God of your 
fathers, the God of those who have given you life, 
the God of your brothers and sister. He is the God 
13 



194 A Modern Martyr 

whom the greatest intellects humanity has ever known 
have served, worshipped and adored. He is the great 
and merciful God, the God who helps us to do right, 
and keeps us from evil — ^the God who alone will 
reward or punish us eternally. 

''Read these words often; it is your best friend, 
your poor brother Theophane, who has written them. 
I leave to you the care of our dear father and sister. 
Be a good son and a good brother; a good Christian, 
in life and in death! Good-bye, dearest brother. 
Come and meet me in Heaven. 
"One who loves you, 
"Theophane Venard, Missionary Apostolic." 

"J. M. J. 

''January 20, 1861. 
"My much-loved one, — If I did not write you a 
few lines for your very own self, you would be jeal- 
ous, and, I admit, with reason. You deserve it, too, 
for your many lengthy and interesting letters to me. 
It is very long since I have heard from you now ; and 
perhaps you are already a priest ? and — who knows ? — 
perhaps a missioner? However that may be, by the 
time you receive this letter your brother will be no 
longer in this bad world, totus in maligno positus. He 
will have left it for a better one, where you must 
strive to rejoin him some day. Your brother's head 
will have fallen, and every drop of his blood will have 
been poured out for God. He will have died a martyr ! 
That was the dream of my youth! When, as a little 
man nine years old, I took my pet goat to browse on 
the slopes of Bel-Air, I used to devour the life and 
the death of the Venerable Charles Cornay, and say 
to myself, 'And I, too, will go to Tong-king. And I, 
too, will be a martyr!' Oh, admirable thread of 



Theophane Venard 195 

Divine Providence, which has guided me through 
the labyrinth of this Hfe to the very mission of Tong- 
king and to martyrdom! Bless and praise our good 
and merciful God with me, dearest Eusebius, for 
having taken such care of his miserable little servant. 
Attraxit me, miser ans mei!'\ 

''Dear Eusebius, I have loved and still love these 
Annamite people with an ardent affection. If God 
had given me a long life, I would gladly have sacri- 
ficed every moment of it, body and soul, to the build- 
ing up of the Church in Tong-king. The people are 
so good, so fervent, so loyal! If my health, feeble 
as a reed, did not enable me to do great things, at 
least I had my heart in the work. But man proposes, 
and God disposes: life and death are in His hand. 
As for us, if He gives us life, let us live for Him; 
if death, then let us die for Him. 

"And for you, dearest little brother, still so young 
in years, you will remain long after me, fighting 
among the waves of this troublesome world. Guide 
your ship well. Let prudence take the helm, humility 
the rudder; let God be your compass, Mary your 
anchor of hope. And then, in spite of the disgust 
and bitterness which, like a howling sea, will some- 
times overwhelm you, never be cast down. Have 
confidence in God, and, like Noah's ark, swim always 

above the waters My lamp gives no more 

light. Good-bye, my Eusebius, until the day when 
you come to rejoin me in Heaven. Your most 
affectionate brother, 

"J- T. Venard, Missionary Apostolic.'' 

tHaving mercy on me, He has drawn me to Himself. 



196 A Modern Martyr 

These letters were accompanied by a note from 
Bishop Theurel, detailing the consummation of the 
sacrifice, as follows : — 

'The 1st of February, Fr. Venard wrote another 
little message, which reached me only after his mar- 
tyrdom. He said, — 

'* The days of my pilgrimage lengthen strangely. 
The prefect is astonished that my sentence should be 
so long delayed. All the despatches from the king 
pass before my cage and each time one arrives I 
ask if my sentence of death is come. Each time the 
post-boy answers, 'Xo.' I hail every morning as the 
dawn of eternity, but evening comes, and I am still 
here. My reason and my heart announce to me daily 
the approach of death, but sometimes I have pre- 
sentiments that the answer will not be death; I try 
to put this thought from me as a snare of the devil. 
Still the suspense is trs'ing. Adieu, dear and loved 
Bishop. Will it be my last good-bye? — who knows? 
May the will of God be done, and not mine!' 

''This farewell was really to be the last. During the 
night of Februar}^ the 2nd the desired sentence ar- 
rived at last ; but Fr. \'enard knew it not. At two 
o'clock in the morning he breakfasted as usual and 
was allowed to go into the garden. The widow 
Nghien, having followed him stealthily, said in a low 
voice, 'Father, you are to be executed to-day.' And 
because your brother doubted, since he had been told 
that he was to be taken to the king, she added, Tt is 
quite certain. Already the elephants are ordered and 
the soldiers are ready ; in a few moments you will be 
led to execution.' Fr. A'enard hastily returned to his 
cage to distribute his little effects among his friends. 
At this moment an old lady named Xin arrived, 



Theophane Venard 197 

bearing the Blessed Sacrament to the prisoner of 
Jesus Christ. It was the fourth time that Father 
Tinh had managed to convey to him the Bread of 
Life. This pious lady, seeing that his moments were 
counted, pressed through the crowd of soldiers to 
the cage, and succeeded in putting into his hand the 
tiny box which contained the Sacred Host. But it 
was too bold a movement. No sooner had the poor 
missioner received the treasure than the soldiers 
threw themselves upon him, dragged the pyx from 
him by main force, and gave it to their captain. Fr. 
Venard, forgetting everything in his terror lest the 
Body of our Lord should be profaned, cried out to 
the widow Nghien, ^They have taken away my Viat- 
icum!' The courageous widow ran to the captain who 
carried the box and told him that this mysterious 
wafer was not, as he imagined, a poison to accelerate 
death and to anticipate the ends of justice, but a food 
for the passage from this life to another, and she 
added, in a tone of conviction, 'If you venture to touch 
this Viaticum, you and all your family will die 
suddenly.' 

'The captain, not knowing what to think of it all, 
timidly gave back the box to the widow, who, on 
account of the tumult, could not pass it to Fr. Venard. 
She returned the pyx therefore to Mdlle. Xin, who 
sorrowfully, though safely, took it back to Father 
Tinh. 

'Tn the meantime, the mandarin had summoned the 
missioner to hear his sentence and to be sent to exe- 
cution. Fr. Venard had prepared for himself a special 
dress for this day of his nuptials, a garment of white 
cotton covered with a long robe of black silk. Having 
put it on, he calmly appeared before the mandarins, 
and when the sentence of his death had been pro- 



198 A Modern Martyr 

nounced, he took up his parable, and made a little 
speech. This was a formal declaration that he had 
come to Tong-king only to teach the true religion, 
and that he was going to die for the same cause. He 
ended by saying to the judges, 'One day we shall 
meet each other again, at the tribunal of God! The 
mandarin of justice rose hastily and exclaimed, T will 
have no insolence '/ The convoy was ordered to start 
at once. It was composed of two elephants and two 
hundred soldiers, commanded by a lieutenant colonel. 
Fr. Venard began to sing Latin psalms and hymns as 
the procession passed through the town. The place of 
execution was about half an hour from the mandarin's 
house, and when they had arrived, the soldiers formed 
a great circle to keep back the crowd, which was 
enormous; but the courageous widow Nghien broke 
through the ranks and at last obtained permission to 
remain with the missioner to the end. 

"Fr. Venard, with a calm and even joyous coun- 
tenance, looked all over the crowd, hoping to see 
Father Tinh, and to receive a last absolution. But 
this poor priest, not knowing that the order for exe- 
cution had been given, could not arrive in time. Your 
brother, having given his sandals to the faithful 
widow, sat quietly on his mat. The soldiers took oflf 
his chain, and with a hammer loosened the nails 
which fastened the ring about his neck and ankles. 
Then they pushed all, even the poor widow, outside 
the circle. 

"The executioner was a hideous hunchback, called 
Tue, once a soldier, now a buffoon. He had already 
decapitated four of our priests on the 25th of March, 
1860, and had begged to be allowed to perform this 
horrible office that he might have the martyr's clothes. 
He began by asking of Fr. Venard, as of an ordinary 



Theophane Venard 199 

criminal, what he would give him to be executed 
promptly and well. The answer he received was, 'The 
longer it lasts the better it will be!' Seeing that the 
missioner's clothes were new and clean, his whole 
anxiety was to get them without any stains of blood. 
He therefore begged his victim to strip; and, as this 
first invitation remained unheeded, he added, with 
barbarous ingenuity, 'You are to be lang-tri/ that is, 
to have all the members cut off at the joints and the 
trunk sawn into four parts. Our dear missioner, 
either because he believed the lie, or because he wished 
to experience more fully the humiliation of our 
Saviour, who before His crucifixion bore similar 
treatment, perhaps also because he was anxious to get. 
rid of the importunities of this vile hunchback, took 
off all his clothes except his trousers. His elbows 
were then tightly tied behind his back, forcing him to 
hold up his head for the fatal stroke, and he was 
fastened to a stake badly fixed in the ground. In this 
position, at a given signal, Fr. Venard received the 
first stroke — ^but it was simply a trial blow on the part 
of the merciless executioner and did not enter the 
flesh deeply. The next stroke, more vigorously 
applied, cut the head nearly off, the stake and the 
victim falling together. Then the executioner, finding 
his sword blunt, took another, and hacked at the neck, 
while indignant murmurs rose from the crowd. 

''Finally, seizing the fallen head by the ear, he held 
it up to the lieutenant colonel who presided at the 
torture. This officer, having desired the municipal 
authorities to keep watch for three days, during which 
time the head was to be exposed, instantly sounded 
the retreat and marched his troops back to their 
quarters. All this time the poor widow Nghien and 
many other women were bewailing as if at the death 



200 A Modern Martyr 

of their first-born. No sooner had the troops left the 
ground than these women and a crowd of sympa- 
thizers precipitated themselves on the spot to soak 
their handkerchiefs and papers in the martyr's blood; 
and they showed such ardor that not a blade of grass 
was left in the place. The execution had not occurred 
in the usual spot. The great mandarin desired to 
have the missioner decapitated on the edge of the 
river, so that the head might be thrown into it with 
greater ease after the exposition. For this reason 
many of the curious, and likewise of the faithful, had 
taken the wrong road, among the rest a good pagan 
who had arranged for the burial of the body; hence, 
although the execution was at eight in the morning, 
at midday the body still remained extended on the 
sand, covered with a mat. Then, a bier having been 
brought down the stream, everything was prepared 
for the interment. Besides the family of this faithful 
pagan, named Huong-Da, the widow Nghien, who 
had not left the remains for an instant, was present. 
"The body was also guarded by a former Christian 
mayor, named Ly-Vung, and a devout Catholic boat- 
man from the southern district of Tong-king. The 
latter had the delicacy to wrap the martyr's body in his 
own coat, which he took off for that purpose. The 
whole was afterwards enclosed in a cotton sheet, 
tightly bound with three linen bands, and, placed in a 
coffin, was buried only a foot deep so as to be the more 
readily disinterred. The head had been put in a 
little wooden box at the top of a pole. The mayor 
Ly-Vung had a box made exactly similar, hoping to 
substitute it for the other, and thus to get possession of 
the precious relics. But it was found impossible to 
cheat the vigilance of the guards. We had then to 
resort to another expedient. The gaoler, charged with 



Theophane Venard 201 

the care of the head, was promised a silver bar if he 
would let us throw the head into the river in our own 
way. This man, nothing loth, came at night on the 
fourth day, to facilitate the matter. But God per- 
mitted our plans to be upset by a little mandarin of 
Balliage, a young wolf of twenty-three, whose only 
idea of government was to devour his people, — his 
royal blood enabling him to do this with impunity. 
This man sent one of his household to superintend 
the projection of the head into the water. Our old 
friend, Huong-Moi, had fastened a fish-hook in the 
ear, with two hundred yards of line and a floater, 
and persuaded the mayor to throw all together into 
the river, thinking that the float would enable us to 
discover it easily on the morrow. But the frightened 
mayor threw the head in without detaching the line 
from the boat, and after pulling a few strokes, the 
head naturally following, at the alarm that the man- 
darin was coming he shook the line violently, the 
hook got loose, and the head sank to the bottom of 
the stream. All our endeavors to recover it the next 
day were in vain. But God managed it for us in 
another way. On the 15th of February some pagan 
friends of Ly-Vung, rowing down the stream, per- 
ceived something floating on the water about four 
leagues from the place of execution. They took it up 
and found it to be our dear martyr's head. The good 
mayor, Ly-Vung, hastened to take it to his house, and 
sent for Father Tinh, who instantly recognized it. 
They wrapped it carefully in a white silk bag and 
placed it in a vase which they sealed with tar. When 
the good priest sent me word of what had occurred, 
I desired him to bring the head to me, and the precious 
relic arrived on the 24th of February. I opened the 
vase in the presence of five witnesses: the head was 



202 A Modern Martyr 

incorrupt. I took the little white bag in which Ly- 
Vung had enveloped it, and in which it had been for 
nine days ; from the right ear I took out the fish-hook 
which Huong-Moi had fastened in it and which had 
remained with about an inch of the line. It had 
made a wide opening in the ear as by a violent 
wrench. The condition of the flesh around the ear 
showed how it had been hacked by the inhuman exe- 
cutioner. I cut off some of the hair with my scissors, 
keeping five or six locks for his family. I tearfully 
turned this much-loved head in my hands, and finally 
replaced it in its urn, and deposited it in a neighbor- 
ing house at the earnest entreaty of the inhabitants, 
finding it impossible at present to do with safety what 
I had wished, namely, to reunite the head to the other 
members. For this we must wait for a time of peace." 

Bishop Jeantet, under the impression that the mar- 
tyr's father was still alive, wrote to comfort him, de- 
claring that Theophane, by his great merits, had well 
deserved the martyr's palm and adding that the Blessed 
Virgin, to whom he had ever been so tenderly devoted, 
had thus glorified him in the eyes of the whole world. 

Bishop Theurel added in conclusion: 

''My dear friends, shall I say that we are rejoiced 
or afflicted at your dear brother's glorious end? In 
one sense we all rejoice at his triumph, blessing and 
praising God for His choice; but for my own part, I 
cannot help feeling deeply the separation which has 
taken place. I am still quite young, being of the 
same age as our dear Theophane ; our warm friendship 
and entire conformity of views on all points, made him 
a powerful auxiliary in all my labors, and a sharer in 
all the cares and anxieties of the future. Your brother 
was at least one-half of my strength and of my 
courage. He had the greatest prudence and wisdom, 



Theophane Venard 203 

united with a burning love and zeal. It seemed as if 
he and I together could do great things in this Tong- 
king vineyard; but alone, how shall I get on? His 
departure has cast me down terribly and has upset all 
my hopes and plans. I have cried for him bitterly, 
and shall cry still more, whatever people may say ! I 
have said that he had an immense zeal for souls ; also, 
though his health was more delicate than that of any 
other missioner in the diocese, he did more work than 
anybody else, passing half the night, and sometimes 
the whole day besides, in the confessional. His con- 
fidence in God was boundless and made him bold al- 
most to a fault in his undertakings. While he was 
working so admirably at Ke-Beo in June, I wrote him 
that he must take greater precautions, for the heavens 
were big with clouds. He answered me with that 
holy boldness which was one of his characteristics, 
that not a hair of his head would fall unless by the 
will of God. In truth, our Lord had determined the 
hour of his martyrdom, and his happy fate was fore- 
told him in 1851. 

''He was a wonderful linguist and had completely 
mastered the difficult Annamite dialect. He translated 
the 'Concordantia Evangelica' of M. Migne into good 
Annamite, as well as the Acts of the Apostles. He had 
just completed the translation of the Epistles and of 
the Apocalypse; and was in the midst of an abridged 
Commentary from that of Picquigny, when he was 
arrested. These two last translations, of which no one 
had a copy, have, to my great despair, been burned, 
not by the chief who took him prisoner, but by the 
Christians of Ke-Beo, whose fears had really troubled 
their reason. Another of our Christian missions has 
been more faithful to the memory of our dear brother. 
I mean that of But-Dong, where he lived for eighteen 



304 A Modern Martyr 

months with Fr. Saiget. This whole parish has been 
for more than a year in open war with the mandarin, 
Nam-Xang, whom your brother reproached so vehe- 
mently from his cage. This functionary came himself 
to But-Dong to force the people to trample the Cross 
under foot; but the whole population having unani- 
mously refused to apostatize, he was forced to yield 
to the resistance of eighteen hundred men; and al- 
though since then he has issued edict after edict, he has 
done nothing but lose both his time and his trouble. 
. . . Bishop Jeantet had expressed the wish that when 
the time came for the re-establishment of the seminary, 
Theophane would become Professor of Theology. 
^I hoped so much,' writes His Grace, 'from his 
wonderful piety, zeal, and science. But the Sovereign 
Arbiter of all things has decided otherwise — ''Fiat 
voluntas tua!' ' The faithful widow Nghien," con- 
tinues Bishop Theurel, ''brought back the clothes and 
chain of our dear brother and handed everything 
over to us. A little later we hope to send to Paris the 
chain, the little bag, and the fishhook of which I have 
spoken, together with the hair, one or two autograph 
letters of the martyr, and the linen soaked with his 
blood. 

"The ring which went about the neck is wanting 
to the chain, having been appropriated by the brother 
of the mandarin, as was also one of the foot rings. 
I will forward to you, my dear Eusebius, as well as to 
M. Henry and Mdlle. Melanie, your portion of his 
hair, and of the linen soaked with his blood. I do 
not send these things to-day, as my parcel is already 
too heavy; I must wait for the next time. A little 
later I hope also to send you each some little remem- 
brance chosen from among his effects. Bishop Jeantet 



Theophane Venard 205 

and I — -and I doubt not all our brethren — will consent 
that his precious martyr's chalice shall pass into your 
hands.* 

'The catechist, Khang, who was seized with your 
brother, was exiled into the province of H6ng-H6a, 
which belongs to the Western Vicariate. But before 
starting, he was allowed to go and venerate the head 
of his spiritual father, which was still exposed. This 
was on the 4th of February. The chief of the canton. 
Do, in addition to the recompense of thirty bars given 
by the king, received four bars from the mandarin 
prefect, and has been created a mandarin of the ninth 
class. 

"After the martyrdom of your dear brother, I 
learned the news of your father's death. So I do 

not address this letter to him, but to you all 

IfBeati qui lavant stolas suas in sanguine AgniT 

{Note of the Family,— On the 25th of March, 1865, 
Bishop Theurel wrote as follows on the subject of 
the relics, to M. I'Abbe Eusebius Venard, curate of 
the Cathedral at Poitiers: — ''The whole of your dear 
brother's body, except the head, arrived at Hong-Kong 
on the 1st of March, and started for France by the 
ship 'St. Vincent de Paul.' It will arrive at the end 
of August or in the beginning of September, by 
Nantes. With the body I have sent the chalice and 
other precious remembrances." 

"Under the same cover, Bishop Theurel, foreseeing 
our impatience, sent us each a portion of the relics, 

*The letters written from the cage by Theophane Venard to his family 
were hanging on the wall of the guest room in the presbytery at 
Assai, when the writer visited Fr. Eusebius. In one corner of this 
room was a cabinet, a family heirloom, in which were kept the 
martyr's chalice and many other relics and souvenirs. 

tBlessed are they who wash their stoles in the blood of the Lamb. 



206 A Modern Martyr 

contained in three little packets, sealed with the 
episcopal seal, and marked with the following in- 
scriptions, written in the Bishop's own hand : — Hair of 
M. T. Venard. Linen imbued with his blood. Small 
bones, cartilages, nails, etc/')"^ 

*The head of Theophane Venard is in Tong-king, an object of ardent 
devotion to the native Christians. It was exposed for veneration while 
the Beatification was taking place at Rome in 1909. Through the great 
kindness of a bishop in Tong-king, a portion of the neck-bone is to-day- 
treasured in the American Foreign Mission Seminary at Maryknoll, 
Ossining, New York. 

The hair and linen referred to in the "note of the family'* were at 
Assai until the death of Fr. Eusebius in 1913. Little by little, how- 
ever, he had disposed of a great part of these relics to clients of the 
martyr, among others to the " Little Flower of Jesus," the young Car- 
melite of Lisieux whose devotion to Blessed Theophane was one of her 
dying consolations. 

To satisfy his ^'importunate friend from America, whose letters 
were like telegraphic dispatches," the good old priest was twice pre- 
vailed upon to part with some small portion of these precious treasures, 
although it must be confessed he did so grudgingly enough. 

The chain worn during the martyr's captivity is in a cabinet devoted 
to Theophane Venard in the Hall of Martyrs, at the Missions £tran- 
geres, Paris. The body reposes in a crypt under the Seminary Chapel, 
and is indicated by a tablet placed at the left side near the entrance. 

The Mission House, known in Paris as the Missions Etrangeres, is 
reached from the Rue du Bac, No. 128. The arched doorway, which, 
it may be well to remember, faces the Bon Marche (a well-known de- 
partment store), is quite inconspicuous, since it is crowded between 
commercial establishments, the Seminary itself, as well as the chapel, 
being located away from the busy thoroughfare and behind these 
buildings. 

The Hall of Martyrs is not always open, and there is no inclination 
on the part of the Seminary Directors to encourage the merely curious 
visitor. To those who are interested in the mission cause, hov/ever, 
and who, as such, would probably appreciate the priceless souvenirs of 
modern martyrs, a welcome is always given, and every possible courtesy 
extended, especially if they are strangers from afar. 



Theophane Venard 207 



CHAPTER XV. 

First Anniversary and Retrospect. 

The official news of Theophane Venard's martyr- 
dom did not arrive in France till the end of December, 
1861, nearly eleven months after the event. The 
Bishop of Poitiers at once resolved to hold a feast in 
honor of one whom his hand had led into the sanc- 
tuary, and who had become the glory of his diocese 
by the heroic confession of faith and the shedding of 
blood for Jesus Christ. 

The feast was fixed for Sunday, the 2nd of Febru- 
ary, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, and the 
anniversary of the martyrdom. The bishop came to 
preside at the ceremony in the church of St. Loup, 
the native parish of our hero. He was accompanied 
not only by the members of his own chapter, but by 
about a hundred priests, friends or companions of 
Theophane, including the Abbe Dallet — who had been 
compelled from bad health to return to France for a 
few months — and the superior of the Seminary of 
Foreign Missions at Paris. 

After the Mass, the bishop preached with such fer- 
vor and emotion that the whole audience was in tears. 
Yet there was nothing sad about the festival. As a 
priest who was present said, *'In each martyr, grace 



208 A Modern Martyr 

assumes a different character. In Theophane it was 
an indomitable serenity, a joyous calm which nothing 
could disturb. One may say of him as the English 
do of one of their poets, 'He was born with a rose-bud 
on his lips and a bird to sing in his ear;' so graceful 
was his imagery, so melodious his words. His natural 
sweetness spread a charm over everything and every 
one with whom he came in contact. Even at the last 
moment of his life he poured it out on those who 
pressed around his cage, on the instrument of his tor- 
ture, on the very earth which was to drink his blood. 
We feel as if the fatal blow which severed that dear 
and venerated head were only as the pressure which 
separates from its stalk the fair flower that is to 
adorn the altar." This joyous calm in the martyr's 
character, so well known to his parents and towns- 
people, had colored the festival held in his honor. 
Nothing spoke of death; but everything breathed 
hope and life. 

His father's house was decked with flowers that 
day as for a marriage feast; and at the breakfast 
given by his brothers, the room was hung with fes- 
toons and garlands, the martyr's monogram being 
twined with palm branches and crowns. 

Mdlle. Melanie Venard assisted at the feast. She 
had now followed her heart's desire, so often talked 
over with her martyred brother, and had taken the 
veil in the Convent of the Holy Family, under the 
name of "Sister Theophane." 

Towards the end of dinner, the Abbe Chauvin, 
curate of St. Jacques de Chatellerault, read a hymn in 
honor of the martyr, the graceful and tender poetry 
of which provoked murmurs of approbation from the 
bishop and all the assembled company. Between the 
services, a large number of Theophane's old friends 




INTERIOR OF THE PARISH CHURCH 

at St. Loup. 



Theophane Venard 309 

made a pilgrimage to the grassy hillsides of Bel-Air, 
where the first inspiration for the foreign missions had 
come into his childish heart. 

The wax taper carried by the bishop on that occa- 
sion was left, at his request, as a memorial in the 
parish church, and by its side hangs in a square frame 
an autograph letter of the martyr, written with a 
paint brush in his cage. 



And now that we have followed Theophane Venard 
from his birth to his death, is our interest in him 
entirely at an end ? If our minds have been for a short 
time turned from frivolous thoughts to the contem- 
plation of a life so pure, so holy, so single-minded in 
the dedication of all its gifts and powers to God, will 
it not have some influence, some effect on our future 
conduct ? 

We feel confident that our Lord will not allow so 
eminent an example to pass unheeded, and that already 
this martyr's words have kindled in other souls a like 
burning love and zeal for the conversion of the 
heathen. Scarcely had Theophane Venard reached 
Tong-king when his letters began to fire the ambition of 
friends and companions, determining them to share 
in his apostolic labors for the foreign missions. We 
trust that on those who read this little book a like im- 
pression may be made ; that if all cannot actually take 
part in the missioner's life, they may at least help 
others to do so by propagating the works of the for- 
eign missions to the utmost of their power in the circle 
of their own homes. 

At the Congress of Malines a noted Catholic 
orator, M. Augustin Cochin, after having pronounced 
14 



210 A Modem Martyr 

an eloquent discourse on the progress of science and 
arts from the religious point of view, quoted a letter 
of Theophane Venard to enforce his arguments, and 
to induce the eminent men who listened to him to 
join in a series of resolutions, of which the first was, 
*'To labor incessantly for the propagation of the faith 
among the heathen!' He went on to say, "I cannot 
understand that any true Catholic should refuse to 
work energetically for the maintenance of those model 
men amongst us who go fortli to regions where the 
Gospel is unknown and seal the truth with their 
blood. Their words breathe a faith and an ardent 
charity of which their lives and their deaths are the 
proof. . . . 

"I was struck the other day by an unexpected coin- 
cidence between the letters of two men to their sis- 
ters, both delicate and sincere, both written in pres- 
ence of the tomb, one by a brother to his sister who 
is dead, the other to his sister by a brother about to 
die. The former was from a man but too well known, 
who, searching in his heart for what was purest and 
best, could speak only of 'refined doubts,' 'delicate 
questions,' 'tears mingled by the women of old with 
the waves of Biblos,' 'the mysteries of Adonis,' .... 
and thus he writes to her whom he calls his 'good 
genius !' The other was written at midnight by a pris- 
oner from his cage on the eve of martyrdom, on the 
20th of January, only two years ago, at the very 
moment, gentlemen, when some of us were probably 
at a ball.'' . . . He then read aloud the letter to 
Melanie, and added, "Gentlemen, between these two 
letters of Renan and Theophane Venard, between the 
two doctrines which they inspire, between the two 
states of mind which they reveal, my choice is made; 



1 



Theophane Venard 311 

gentlemen, I earnestly recommend to you the work of 
the propagation of the faith!" 

The whole Congress was moved by these eloquent 
words; and the letter, which M. Cochin termed "One 
of the most beautiful pages in the History of the Mar- 
tyrs of the Nineteenth Century/' produced in the 
hearts of his three thousand auditors an emotion which 
bore immediate fruit, for the next day the orator 
received, among other offerings, without any signature 
or sign of the donor, a bank note of one thousand 
francs for the Foreign Mission Seminary. 

Let us hope that this generous heart may find its 
imitators ; and that this humble biography, however 
feebly executed, may move other Christian souls to 
come forward and help in the great work. 



Retrospect. 



When the storm of persecution which marked the 
death of Theophane Venard had spent itself, it was 
found that, between the years 1857-1862, in the vari- 
ous parts of Tong-king and Cochin-China, 117 foreign 
priests were martyred. In addition to these, 115 
Annamite priests — one third of the native clergy of 
Annam — poured out their blood for Jesus Christ. 
Eighty convents were destroyed and 3,000 Annamite 
nuns dispersed, 100 of whom gave up their lives for 
the faith. All of the colleges were closed and most 
of the catechists and pupils arrested. The more 
prominent among the native Christians, to the number 
of about 10,000, were also put in prison. Of these, 
more than 5,000 died for the faith, — some being de- 
capitated after regular trial ; others burned in groups, 



212 A Modern Martyr 

buried alive or drowned. In Tong-king, the man- 
darins, foreseeing that liberty would soon be pro- 
claimed, cut off completely the supply of food and 
caused many to die of starvation. 

A period of peace followed in Tong-king, with occa- 
sional threatenings, until 1882, when Father Bechel 
was beheaded with his catechists and his flock. The 
royal council then considered a general massacre of 
all Catholic priests and people. The king, Tu Due, 
the same under whom Theophane Venard was sen- 
tenced, opposed the movement. Shortly afterwards 
he died, after a reign of thirty-five years, — a reign that 
had been often criminal and always unhappy. 

Another frightful massacre took place in 1885, 
covering the whole region of Indo-China. In the mis- 
sion of Tong-king 163 churches were burned, 4,799 
Catholics were killed, and 1,181 died of hunger and 
mise^\^ 

To-day France is in peaceful possession of Tong- 
king and the great persecutions have ceased. The 
following statistics, supplied from the latest report of 
the Paris Seminary will be of interest to the reader, 
w^ho cannot fail to see here again exemplified the 
well-know^n axiom of Tertullian, "Sanguis mart}'rum 
semen Christianorum" — 'The blood of martyrs is the 
seed of Christians." 

Tgng-king in 1912. 

Catholics 406,859 

Churches or chapels 1,475 

Bishops 6 

Missioners (European) 146 

Native priests 294 

Catechists 1,045 

Seminaries 9 



Theophane Venard 213 

Students 8^3 

Community of men 1 

Religious 16 

Communities of women 49 

Religious 640 

Adult pagans baptized 3,125 

Children of pagans baptized in danger of 

death 30,387 

Children of Christians baptized 10,763 

Schools 1,126 

Pupils 33,600 

Orphanages and Infant Asylums 31 

Children in the same 4,334 

Workshops 17 

Children in the same 492 

Dispensaries 45 

Hospitals 21 

The writer is now in occasional correspondence 
with a young missioner whom he met at the Paris 
Seminary and who has since been sent to Tong-king. 
Some months after his arrival this young priest wrote : 

"It is a little more than a year since I announced 
to you my call to the priesthood and my approaching 
departure for the missions. The mission chosen for 
me is familiar to you through the life of Theophane 
Venard, of whom we spoke so much during your stay 
at the Missions fitrangeres, Paris/' 

"Well, I am in the mission where so many martyrs 
have labored, — the mission of Tong-king. My joy, or 
rather our joy (for there are two of us — Father De 
Coomay and myself), was all the greater on our ar- 
rival, because we had been a long time sighing for 
the day. In fact, the voyage was not a very happy 
one. In place of thirty days, — the usual passage, — it 



214 A Modern Martyr 

took us forty-five days to get to Tong-king. We had 
two accidents to the machinery during the trip, and 
just as we were entering the Tong-king River our 
boat struck on a hidden ledge. 

''Happily the sea was calm and the day following 
the shipwreck a boat came to rescue us. There were 
no deaths to deplore, but a considerable portion of 
our baggage is at the bottom of the sea. I lost nearly 
all my books and many little souvenirs of home. 
Father De Coomay was no more fortunate than I. 
God evidently wished us to practise detachment from 
the things of this world as soon as we arrived here. 
We are thankful to have escaped, as the boat went to 
pieces soon after we left it. 

*'On the boat were eight missioners; two for 
Cochin-China, and six for the three missions of Tong- 
king. I am in the mission of Maritime Tong-king, 
with Father De Coomay for my companion. 

"At Phat Diem, where the Bishop lives, I was 
much pleased to meet Theophane Venard's catechist, 
that is to say, the native who taught the language to 
the martyr. He is very old and bears the signs of 
his religion. These are the marks which the pagans 
made on the countenances of Christians at the time 
of persecution. The only occupation of the good old 
man is to prepare himself for death. He is always 
wrapped in silc::ice, meditation and prayer. 

"In this mission of Maritime Tong-king, there are 
80,000 Christians. In the parish where I am, there are 
more Christians than pagans, and they are fervent 
Christians, too. 

"On last Corpus Christi we had a beautiful pro- 
cession. The Christians had worked many days to 
prepare a fitting passage, and with triumphal arches, 
oriflammes, etc., nothing was wanting for the cere- 



Theophane Venard 215 

mony. Then came numerous fireworks, for no event 
can be solemnized here without fireworks. I have 
been deeply moved by the faith of these Christians, 
some of whom are descendants of the martyrs. They 
recite the prayers with loud voices. Just now I am 
studying the language. I have already preached 
several times but I cannot yet converse fluently with the 
natives. 

"I recommend myself and my mission to your 
prayers. With kindest regards, I am 

"Most sincerely yours, 

"Matthew Rocher, 
"Missionary Apostolic, 

"Phat Diem, Tong-king." 

These lines have a familiar ring. They bring back 
the earlier days of Theophane Venard, who after all 
was only one of many, — a type which is being perpet- 
uated in the Catholic Church. 

A few years ago, Basil Huctin, a parishioner of 
Eusebius Venard and one of three brothers all of 
whom have devoted their lives to the foreign missions, 
wrote to the editor a farewell letter on the eve of 
his departure from France. The spirit which breathes 
through these lines is the same as that which shines 
with such lustre in the life of Theophane Venard. 

"I know that you are interested in my future 
mission and I am now able to announce it. 

"The better part has been chosen for me. Coming 
from the diocese of Poitiers, from the land of Theo- 
phane Venard and Blessed Cornay, and as a parishioner 
of Fr. Eusebius Venard, I am booked for Maritime 
Tong-king. 

"If I must regret not being able to assist in Paris 
at the solemnity of Theophane's Beatification, I am 



216 A Modern Martyr 

amply compensated by the opportunity which I shall 
have to make a pilgrimage to the scene of his mar- 
tyrdom, to venerate his head, which, you know, was 
left at Tong-king, and then to celebrate Mass on the 
day of the solemnity. 

"Have I not reason to believe that I have drawn 
the best lot of all? And may I not hope for the 
powerful intercession of our dear martyr, to whom I 
owe my sweet apostolic vocation and the special favor 
of being sent to Tong-king? Am I presumptuous in 
expecting his constant intercession, and if not the 
crown of martyrdom, at least the crown of Heaven, 
the reward promised to the conquerors. 

"More than ever do I need fervent prayers, that I 
may be a missioner such as were those of past 
generations — who, worthy of martyrdom, have made 
the Society and religion illustrious by the shedding of 
their blood. Fifty years — sixty years, after these, 
we come, their imitators, to gather the harvest on 
the soil which they prepared, sowed and watered. 
May we have fruit as abundant ! 

"The mission to which I am assigned is a new 
foundation, established in 1900. Out of two million 
inhabitants there were 90,000 Catholics last year. The 
thirty missioners on the ground baptized 8,263 pagan 
infants and 1,371 adults, — a fine sheaf, is it not, to 
present to the Father of the family? 

"The extraordinary number of pagan infant bap- 
tisms is due especially to an awful rice famine in 
which numerous families perished from hunger. 

"In conclusion, I beg your prayers, to soften the 
grief of my family caused by separation. My beloved 
father and mother are old. The day when they would 
have realized their most precious dream — ^to see their 



Theophane Venard 217 

children priests — will see them depart with no hope 
of a reunion until we meet in Heaven. Their hearts 
are already bruised by the departure of my brother 
Alfred, who left on the 11th of September, and in two 
weeks more, the sacrifice will be repeated. May God 
give me strength and courage. 

With sincere regards, I am, as ever. 
Yours in Our Saviour and Mary Immaculate, 
Basil Huctin, M. Ap., 
of Maritime Tong-king.'' 

'T. S. — I was with my family from Oct. 19th to 
Nov. 1st. The good-bye is over, eight days ago. My 
father and mother suffered keenly when I was going, 
but they had accepted the sacrifice long before and 
generously offered it to God for His glory, for their 
own salvation and for the salvation of souls. May 
the Blessed Virgin soften for them the grief of 
separation. It is to her motherly protection that I 
have confided them. I am simply waiting now for our 
departure from Paris. 

"Oh! how happy I am, and how proud to have 
received this beautiful mission of Tong-king ! I could 
not reasonably be otherwise when I consider the links 
which bind me to Theophane through his venerable 
brother. 

"To give you an idea of the joy which filled the 
soul of Fr. Eusebius Venard when he learned that I 
was destined for Tong-king, I will say that he could 
hardly express it in words or by his letters. The 
best proof of his satisfaction is that he wishes to be 
present at my departure. In spite of his advanced 
age he does not fear to make the journey. 

"I am going to ask, with insistency, prayers for 
the young missioner of Maritime Tong-king, for his 
work and above all for his sanctification. 



318 A Modern Martyr 

"The choicer and more beautiful my inheritance, 
the greater is my obligation to care for it with zeal 
and love. Pray that I may be a holy missionary priest. 
God and our blessed Mother will do the rest for me. 

''Be assured that on my part I will not forget you. 
I will unite my prayers with those of my Christians 
for all who are included in your intentions. 

Affectionately in Our Lord and Mary Immaculate, 

Basil Huctin, 
M. Ap.'' 

To-day other young apostles are walking in the 
footsteps of Theophane Venard. These will follow 
the path marked out for them, and, if necessary, they 
too will cheerfully bend their heads to receive the 
sabre-cut of the persecutor; and when the tidings 
of their martyrdom shall have reached the Mission 
House which nurtured them, a joyous hymn of praise 
will be sung, and that night in the dark silence of 
the sanctuary, scores of young aspirants will pray 
with renewed fervor, each asking as a special grace, 
that he, too, may be fortunate enough to win the 
martyr's crown. 

The age of martyrs will never pass in the true 
Church oij^us Chri§t. 




FR. EUSEBIUS VENARD, AT FORTY YEARS OF AGE. 



Theophane Venard 219 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Afterword. 

The reader will naturally wish to know what be- 
came of the several members of the Venard family, 
to each of whom in turn the martyr's letters were 
addressed. 

In the editor's preface mention has already been 
made of Eusebius, who was for many years the be- 
loved Cure of Assai. Fr. Eusebius died on February 
24, 1913. In the course of the narrative it has been 
learned that M. Venard, the father, died before re- 
ceiving news of his son's martyrdom, and that Melanie 
— shortly afterwards — entered a religious order, '*Les 
Religieuses d'Esperance. 

Melanie, Theophane's second self, as he often called 
her, died in the convent at Amiens, in France. Henry 
married, but after a few years lost his wife and only 
child. Until his death, a few years ago, he shared 
with Fr. Eusebius the humble presbytery at Assai. 
Their housekeeper, a gentle townswoman from the 
old home at St. Loup, remembered Theophane when, 
as a boy of fourteen, he pastured his father's goats 
on the hillside of Bel-Air. She recalled too his de- 
parture for the missions. In this simple household, 



220 A Modern Martyr 

aglow with the memory of a martyr and adorned 
with many souvenirs of his life, the writer spent 
happy and profitable hours. Towards the end of his 
life Fr. Eusebius did not enjoy the best of health, 
but only a few years before his death he produced a 
successful martyr-play in honor of his brother — ^the 
labor of many months. 

This drama was enacted by the villagers of Assai 
in the spacious churchyard and drew a great assem- 
blage from the surrounding country. A letter re- 
ceived at the time from Fr. Eusebius, acknowledging 
some photographs — the results, good, bad, and in- 
different, of a forced attempt made by the writer 
during one of his visits to Assai — will throw light 
on this interesting Cure, while it gives information 
about the little drama in which he is so deeply inter- 
ested. The reader will remark that the saving sense 
of humor is not lacking in the brother of Theophane 
Venard. 

"Assai (by Airvault), Deux Sevres, France. 

"Oct. 23, 1905. 
"Reverend and dear Father: 

"I have safely received your masterly efforts at 
photography, and I am waiting to see if I do not get a 
second package. For a first attempt these are not a 
poor showing. We might even call them a success, 
especially the one in which I am posing at the door of 
my presbytery. 

"However, as a rule, the views of the surrounding 
country are more pleasing than the portraits, which 
are a trifle dark. 

"All who have recognized themselves have been 
delighted, even Kebis,t although he is seen from 

fM. Henry's dog. 



Theophane Venard 221 

behind; his master is truly proud of his pose. But 
there has also been much dissatisfaction in feminine 
circles (always inclined to jealousy), and my house- 
keeper is in the first rank, for she has failed to find 
her beautiful countenance. 

''All the views of St. Loup are clear and distinct 
except the one of our homestead, which is a little 
dull. The pictures of Assai, taken from various points, 
are equally beautiful. The main altar, the dining 
room and your bed room are excellent. 

''My health is about the same. I had some rather 
painful attacks in September and October, neverthe- 
less my work went on as usual. I have filled a large 
album of about four hundred pages with letters of 
the dear martyr, to preserve them as autographs. 
They are written from the College of Doue, the 
Seminary of Montmorillon, and the Grand Seminary 
of Poitiers. The following letters will fill two other 
albums. 

"The drama, 'Captivity and Martyrdom,' is not 
yet in press. It is extremely difficult to find an editor. 
I hope later, by Christmas at least, to have it pub- 
lished. 

"They speak of printing at Hong-Kong, at the 
Nazareth House of Foreign Missions, a selection of 
Theophane's letters. I will let you know about this 
later. 

"Believe me always, dear friend, 
Your very devoted and affectionate 

L. E. Venard." 

Fr. Eusebius never tired speaking of Theophane, 
and with advancing years the thought of him became 
the strong undercurrent of his life. It was hardly 
possible to converse with the old gentleman for any 
length of time without drawing from his lips some 



222 A Modern Martyr 

reference to his beloved brother. He used to call 
him, rather proudly, Le Venerable, and later, more 
proudly, Le Bienheureux (the Blessed). 

From time to time he visited Paris, staying at the 
Mission Seminary to arrange some of the many de- 
tails incidental to the process of Beatification. He 
was always a welcome guest and an object of great 
respect to the students, all of whom loved Theo- 
phane. 

Occasionally, too, he drove over to St. Loup to 
inspect the old home and to talk with the Cure about 
the days to come, when St. Loup would be a centre 
of pilgrimages and the relics of his beloved brother, 
guarded by friends, would be venerated by multi- 
tudes of the faithful. 

Before returning to Assai, Fr. Eusebius would 
always walk out through the village, over the bridge 
that crossed the Thouet, to the hillside of Bel-Air. 
Here a simple monument still marks the spot where 
Theophane Venard received his call to be a martyr. 

A few yards from this monument, on a slight ele- 
vation, there has stood for many years, the stone 
apse of a memorial chapel. Good Fr. Eusebius 
pointed out to the writer this unfinished work, 
confessing, with a sigh, that the generosity of friends 
had failed him, and the chapel of which he had 
dreamed as a place of pilgrimage must wait for 
better times, or look to some other land for its 
realization. 

That evening as we sat in his poor dining room at 
Assai, a gleam of hope came into the old priest's eyes, 
and he said, 'Terhaps America will learn to love 
Theophane." 



Theophane Venard 233 

Closing Reflections. 

That was in 1903. 

Two years later the first edition of this life appeared 
and before Eusebius went to his reward he had the 
satisfaction of knowing that seven thousand copies 
had been printed and circulated, and that five and 
perhaps ten times that number of American people, 
young and old, Catholic and non-Catholic, had learned 
to love his blessed brother. He knew, too, that 
several young men and young women had been drawn 
to the religious life through the inspiration received 
from these letters and that the first vocations to 
the American Foreign Mission Seminary could be 
traced to the same influence. 

America is beginning to know — ^and to know is to 
love — Theophane Venard, — and not Theophane Ve- 
nard alone, but the noble army of heroes and heroines 
to whose company he belonged, and who, in our 
own generation, are struggling bravely for the Cause 
of Christ in fields afar. 

English-speaking Catholics here in the United 
States and elsewhere have been accused, perhaps 
justly, of indifference to foreign missions. This accu- 
sation is met with the excuse that we have had too 
much to do at home; but the true Catholic, whose 
heart is all-embracing like that of Christ, knows that 
the solid development of the Church at home will 
be helped rather than hindered by our interest in 
its spread throughout the world, nay more, the one 
must depend upon the other. Love for the Church 
is like a flame, which if confined will die. 

There is, indeed, much spiritual and material work 
to be done at home. There always will be ; but if we 
wait until every home need has been met, we must 
wait till the end of time. Whatever may be said of 



224 A Modern Martyr 

the past, we are certainly now in a position to con- 
tribute at least a breath of prayer, a mite of alms, and 
some missioners — even though it be a proportion- 
ately small number — to the foreign missions. 

We should remember that as yet, notwithstanding 
the clear command of Christ, uttered nineteen cen- 
turies ago, ''Going, teach all nations, — preach the 
gospel to every creature," there are at this moment 
more than i,ooo millions, out of the earth's population 
of i,6oo million, who do not know Jesus Christ. 

Remarkable progress has, it is true, been made in 
the last century towards the conversion of the world. 
This progress may be traced to the copious shedding 
of blood for Christ by men like Theophane Venard 
and their converts, and to the establishment of sys- 
tematic means of support for the missions, notably 
the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. As a 
result of these influences, spiritual and material, the 
Catholic Church to-day counts in the mission field, 
about 15,000 priests, 5,000 Brothers, and 45,000 Sisters, 
as against 1,000, all told, at the beginning of the last 
century. 

This progress, however, can hardly be credited to 
English-speaking Catholics. On the contrary, we in 
the United States must confess with our confreres 
in England, ''that as yet we have no heart for the 
heathen, and that zeal for the honor of God and 
the salvation of souls is less in proportion to numbers 
among us than among certain European Catholic peo- 
ples, upon whose shortcomings we are so ready to sit 
in judgment."* 

These last words refer to our unhappy co-religion- 
ists in France, and the reader will more easily under- 

*The Rev. Thos. Jackson at the Annual Conference of the Catholic 
Truth Society, held at Blackburn, England, in 1905. 




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Theophane Venard 225 

stand the allusion when he recalls that at the present 
time more than one half of all Catholic missioners, and 
one half of all monies subscribed to their support, 
may be attributed to the generosity of the French 
people. If we must criticize the indifference of 
French Catholics, let us admit that the divine note 
of Catholicity in the true Church is due to-day largely 
to self-denying sons and daughters of France, whose 
sacrifices on the mission fields have won the plaudits 
of an admiring world, and will yet, we believe, by 
God's grace, enable France to triumph over present 
trials. 

Thank God, among the English-speaking people of 
the world there are signs of an awakening to the mis- 
sion needs. The apostolic zeal of the late Cardinal 
Vaughan has blessed England with her Missionary 
College at Freshfield and her Seminary for Foreign 
Missions at Mill Hill, so that to-day this Society 
which the Christlike heart of Cardinal Vaughan in- 
spired, has missions in the Punjab and Madras, India; 
in Borneo, New Zealand, and the Philippine Islands; 
and in Uganda and the Congo of Africa. It counts 
among its members three Bishops, two Prefects 
Apostolic and nearly two hundred priests. It is true 
that many of its missioners are not of English-speak- 
ing origin, yet they have been trained in England. 
Mill Hill stands to-day as a witness to the aspirations 
of a far-seeing hierarchy and an encouragement to 
the missionary spirit of Catholic youth, while it holds 
before all classes the high and inspiring ideal of the 
apostolate, a most valuable asset in the life of the 
Church. 

In the United States we have until recently been 
without such a national Seminary and the religious 
orders that supplied foreign mission recruits from 
15 



226 A Modern Martyr 

other countries seemed to lose sight of this phase of 
Catholic effort in the presence of our many and varied 
home needs. Had we been asked, a few years ago, to 
direct some young aspirant whose heart was prompt- 
ing him to ''go the whole way'', — ^to give up home 
and countrj^ for Jesus Christ, we should have been 
at a loss to know where to guide his steps, unless 
away from our own land, to ^Mill Hill or to one or 
other of the seminaries on the continent of Europe. 
And in some of these he could not be accepted if 
he were not already familiar with the language of 
the country. 

In 1905, when the first edition of A Modern 
Martyr appeared, we expressed a hope that the day 
was not far distant when this urgent want would be 
supplied, when the doors of an American Seminary 
for Foreign Missions should be thrown open to 
Catholic youth with world-wide hearts. 

To-day, thanks to God, the doors are open. At 
MaryknoU,''' high above the noble river along which 
Fr. Isaac Jogues, martyr for Christ, once sailed, a 
little group of pioneer .\merican students are pre- 
paring for the foreign missions, blazing a trail that w^e 
have reason to believe many will follow in the years 
to come. 

*The Foreign Mission Seminary at Mar\^knoll ^^-as opened to students 
in September, 1912. It occupies a splendid stretch of land — about 
ninety-three acres of farm and forest — ^thirty miles north of New York 
City, and lies partly in the town of Ossining and partly in New Castle. 
The elevation is 550 feet and from this height an eight mile sweep of 
the Hudson River is in view. The post-office address is Ossining. 



In September, 1913, the new Seminary opened at Scranton, Pa., its 
first preparatory school. It is called the Venard Apostolic School. 
Boys who have' a special inclination for the foreign missions and who 
are' ready for high school work are received here. The Seminan,- hopes 
later to establish preparatory schools in several other sections of the 
United States. 



Theophane Venard 227 

And Maryknoll is not alone. 

There are now in this country several branches of 
European orders or societies which have on their 
membership rolls "apostles in the field." The Congre- 
gation of the Holy Ghost, whose headquarters are at 
Cornwells, Pa., has sent some of its priests to Africa, 
and from the house of the same Congregation in 
Notre Dame, Indiana, several have gone to India ; 
the Brothers of Mary, at Dayton, and Franciscans 
from the St. Louis province are represented in Eastern 
missions; and we are inclined to think that other 
European missionary societies with branches here, 
e.g., the Missionaries of the Saci-ed Heart and the 
Marists, have one or more Americans (born or 
adopted) on their missions. If not, we arc bold 
enough to say that they should spare a few for that 
purpose. 

In this connection we note a thriving German or- 
ganization, the Society of the Divine Word, which 
has its headquarters in Steyl, Holland. 

This Society has founded a branch in the United 
States, at Techny, Illinois, and expects in time to send 
from our country a goodly number of zealous apostles 
to some one or other of its several missions. 

The Church in America is at heart Catholic. Her 
children are generous and capable of great sacrifices 
for the faith which they treasure. As the knowledge 
of Catholic missions develops among us, the value of 
a missioner's sacrifice will be more fully appreciated, 
and we shall see in the Catholics of America constant 
proof of their devotion to such heroes as Theophane 
Venard, and to the soldiers who to-day are struggling 
in martyrs' footsteps. The name of Theophane 
Venard will yet find its proper place in our affectionate 
remembrance, alongside of names which have been hal- 



228 A Modern Martyr 

lowed for centuries ; and if our preference must mani- 
fest itself, we shall hardly be blamed if we turn to one 
who faced and conquered the trials of our own day, 
and who died for Christ, — A Modern Martyr. 



On May the 2nd, 1909, Theophane \'enard was de- 
clared Blessed. It was his brother's painstaking labor 
which prepared the facts leading to this declaration, 
and a letter from Fr. Eusebius to the writer, prepared 
in Rome on the day of the Beatification, expresses his 
joy on this solemn occasion. 

"The great day had just come to an end and I 
wish to tell you my joy and my happiness and how 
much I have thought of and prayed for you. 

"Yesterday and to-day, I have had emotions truly 
delicious and beyond all expression. Yesterday, the 
entire deputation from the diocese of Poitiers, in 
which St. Loup (the martyr's home) was notably 
represented, was received by Pope Pius X. in a very 
special audience. 

''Before this audience, the Holy Father wished to 
receive me alone and to give evidence to me of his 
fatherly tenderness. He asked intimate details about 
dear Theophane and spoke to me with much satis- 
faction and praise about my own life-work, conse- 
crated as it has been to the glory of my blessed 
brother. 

"To-day was the great day of the Beatification, a 
ceremony grand and touching in the extreme. The 
chanting was ver}- beautiful. I admired especially 
the Te Deum, during which I was many times suf- 
focated by sobs and tears of happiness. 

"This evening at five o'clock, there was another 
gathering at St. Peter's, where the Pope came to 



Theophane Venard 329 

venerate the relics of the newly Blessed and to assist 
at the Solemn Benediction. 

"The assemblage was immense, the great Basilica 
filled to overflowing. All the Papal court was present 
to participate in the ceremony and there was a splendid 
illumination which brought out the aureoles of the 
martyrs. 

"When the Pope and his court had left the Church, 
from the tribunes next to mine there rushed towards 
me an avalanche of people, most of them unknown 
to me, who offered congratulations, shook my hands 
and kissed them with visible joy. In treating me thus, 
they believed that they were in relationship with 
Theophane himself, — as if he were living. 

"I was happy in all these proofs of affection given 
to the Blessed One in my person and the impression 
they made was indelible, although my fatigue was 
extreme. 

Very affectionately yours in Christ, 

L. E. Venard, 
Cure d' Assai.'' 

A few months after the Beatification, impressive 
ceremonies were held at Hanoi, in Tong-king, where 
the martyr's head is preserved. Fr. Basil Huctin, a 
parishioner of Fr. Eusebius Venard whom we have 
already mentioned in these pages, sent to the writer 
a description of this celebration and added an account 
of his pilgrimage to the scene of Theophane's death. 

"At St. Loup the pious pilgrims could follow the 
road leading to the hill of Bel- Air ; but I have followed 
the road which led to the martyrdom and triumph. 
Sunday, after Vespers, in company with another 
Father, I set out from the site of the old prison, 
now demolished. Opposite is the Grand Mandarin's 



330 A Modern Martyr 

former residence, with the judgment hall where the 
martyr was examined, bidden to trample the Cross, 
threatened with the rotin, and for a time imprisoned. 
We examined all these scenes, and a little prayer 
rose from our hearts to our lips. 

"We proceeded on foot amidst an indifferent 
crowd, talking little, and only to stimulate memory. 
From the city gate we went in the direction of Red 
River, a little distance away. It is hard to discover 
the actual spot of the execution, for in the past forty- 
eight years the river has shifted, submerging different 
islands and claiming more land. We stood silently, 
among people who had no suspicion of the pilgrims' 
prayers, and mentally reviewed the scene — the great 
circle of two hundred soldiers formed around the 
young martyr, radiant with happiness; the removal 
of his garments, the same ignominy Our Lord suffered 
before being placed on the Cross. It seemed as if 
I could hear the sound of the hammers and pincers 
loosening the nails that fastened the rings at neck 
and ankles. Then, after the terrible preliminaries, 
came the picture of the hideous executioner perform- 
ing his sad work, and the head rolling on the ground, 
deluging and fertilizing the Annamite soil with its 
pure blood. 

"After all these thoughts had passed through my 
mind, I made a fervent prayer to the dead martyr, 
our protector and model in heaven — a universal 
prayer, for his venerable brother, for my family, 
friends, and benefactors, for the missions, for the 
conversion of the heathen and the spread of Chris- 
tianity." 

Blessed Theophane Venard has already become 
to not a few, a special intercessor in Heaven. In the 
beautiful life of Soeur Therese (which appears in 



Theophane Venard 



231 



English under the title "The Little Flower of Jesus"), 
there is striking evidence of the young Carmelite's 
devotion to our martyr. "I cannot look upon him," 
said this holy nun, ''nor upon Our Lady, without 
shedding tears." And again, "He is a little saint. 
There is nothing out of the ordinary in his life. He 
loved the Immaculate Virgin very much, his family 
too. And so do I. I cannot understand those saints 
who did not." 

Sister Therese died in 1897 at the age of twenty- 
four. She was one of five sisters, all of whom became 
nuns, daughters of M. and Mme. Martin, proprietors 
of the well-known lace establishment at Alengon in 
France. 

The example of Sister Therese's devotion to Theo- 
phane Venard has spread to many Carmelite com- 
munities and to several religious orders of men, in 
which latter some of the younger novices have taken 
the name of Theophane. 

May this modern martyr inspire us all with deeper 
love for souls and obtain for some among us the 
blessed grace of a vocation, — if not to martyrdom, 
at least to the world-wide Apostolate! 




2 PLVICIER. ia«l 



232 A Modern Martyr 

HYMN OF SISTER THERESE 

(The Little Flower of Jesus) 



To Blessed Theophane Venard, Martyr. 
Translated by S. L. Emery. 



O Theophane, angelic martyr blest! 

All the elect to sing thy praise aspire ; 
And thee to hail, behold ! there stand conf est 

The seraphim, with love divine on fire. 
I, a poor exile still on' this dull earth, 

Cannot with them my joyful song combine; ' 
Yet will I take my harp, and sing thy worth, 

And claim thee as a kindred soul to mine. 

Thy brief, bright sojourn here was like a psalm 

Of heavenly melody, all hearts upraising; 
Thy love for Jesus brought forth flowers like balm. 

Through all thy life thy dearest Saviour praising. 
Writing thy farewell thy last earthly night, 

That farewell was a song of spring and love, 
'T, little butterfly, the first take flight. 

Of all our loved ones, to our home above." 

Thou, happy martyr ! in the hour of death 

Didst taste the deep delight of suffering; 
Thou didst declare, e'en with thy dying breath, 

That it is sweet to suffer for the King. 
When the stern headsman made thee offer fair 

Thy torture to abridge, how swift thy word : 
**Oh, blest am I my Master's cup to share ! 

Long let my suffering last with Christ my Lord V* 



Theophane Venard 333 

Virginal lily ! life had but begun, 

When Jesus heard thy loving heart's desire. 
I see in thee a flower whose race is run, 

Yet His hand plucked it but to lift it higher. 
And now, no longer, exile dost thou know ; 

Thy ecstasy the Blest rejoice to see; 
That Rose of love, the Virgin white as snow, 

Rejoices in thy heavenly purity. 

Soldier of Christ ! thy armor lend to me ! 

For sinners' souls I long to give my life; 
For them to give my tears, my blood, like thee. 

Protect me then, and arm me for the strife ! 
For them I fain would fight till life is done, 

God's kingdom take by force their souls to save. 
"Not peace to earth I bring," so spake God's Son, 

''But fire and sword I bring." Oh, saving glaive! 

How dear is now to me that pagan horde. 

The object of thy burning love below ! 
If Jesus would to me that grace accord. 

Ah, thither with what ardor would I go! 
Before Him space and distance fade away, 

This earth is but a plaything on the breeze ; 
My actions, my small sufferings to-day. 

Can make my Jesus loved beyond the seas. 

Oh, were I but a flower of springtime too, 

That soon the Lord would gather to His breast ! 
Come down from heaven at my last hour anew, 

O Theophane, thou youthful martyr blest! 
Come, with the virginal flames of thy pure love. 

Come, to burn from my soul all earthly clay. 
That I may fly to heaven's courts above, 

And join thy cohort in unending day. 



234 A Modem Martyr 

CHANT OF DEPARTURE. 
^s sung at the Paris Seminary for Foreign Missions. 



Words by Fr. Dallet. 



Music by Ch. Gounod. 



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236 



A Modern Martyr 



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Qu'un souffle heureux vienne enfler votre voUe, 
Amis, volez sur les ailes des vents, 
Ne craignez pas, Marie est votre etoile, 
Elle saura veiller sur ses enfants. 
Respecte, 6 mer ! leur mission sublime, 
Garde-les bien, sois pour eux sans ecueil, 
Et sous ces pieds qu'un si beau zele anime, 
De tes flots abaisse TorgueiL 

Partez, amis, &c. 



iTheophane Venard 237 

Hatez vos pas vers ces peuples immenses; 
lis sont plonges dans une f roide nuit, 
S^^ yerite, sans Dieu, sans esperances ; 
Inlortunes! Tenfer les engloutit. 
Soldats du Christ ! soumettez-lui la terre, 
Que tous les Heux entendent votre voix, 
Portez partout la divine lumiere, 
Partout I'etendard de la croix. 

Partez, amis, &c. 



Empressez-vous dans la sainte carriere, 
Donnez a Dieu vos peines, vos sueurs, 
Vous souff rirez, et votre vie entiere 
S'ecoulera dans de rudes labeurs. 
Peut-etre aussi, tout le sang de vos veines 
Sera verse; vos pieds, ces pieds si beaux, 
Peut-etre un jour seront charges de chaines, 
Et vos corps livres aux bourreaux. 

Partez, amis, &c. 



Partez, partez, car nos Mres succombent, 
Le temps, la mort, ont decime leurs rangs ; 
Ne faut-il pas remplacer ceux qui tombent 
Sous le couteau de feroces tyrans? 
Heureux amis! partagez leur victoire, 
Suivez toujours les traces de leurs pas ; 
Dieu vous appelle, et du sein de la gloire 
Nos martyrs vous tendent les bras. 

Partez, amis, &c. 



I 



238 A Modern Martyr 

Soyez remplis du zele apostolique ; 
La pauvrete, les travaux, les combats, 
La mort; voila Tavenir magnifique 
Que notre Dieu reserve a ses soldats. 
Mais parmi nous il n'est point de coeur lache, 
A son appel tous nous obeirons, 
Nous braverons et la cangue et la hache, 
Oui, s'il faut mourir, nous mourrons. 

Partez, amis, &c. 

Bientot, bientot, nous courrons sur vos traces, 
Cherchant partout une ame a convertir; 
Nous franchirons ces immenses espaces, 
Et nous irons tous precher et mourir. 
Oh! le beau jour, quand le Roi des Apotres 
Viendra combler le desir de nos coeurs, 
Recompenser vos travaux et les notres, 
Et nous proclamer tous vainqueurs ! 

Partez, amis, &c. 

En nous quittant vous demeurez nos freres, 
Pensez a nous, devant Dieu, chaque jour; 

Restons unis par de saintes prieres, 
Restons unis dans son divin amour. 
O Dieu Jesus notre roi, notre maitre, 
Protegez-nous, veillez sur notre sort, 
A vous nos coeurs, notre sang, tout notre etre, 
A vous, a la vie, a la mort. 

Partez, amis, adieu pour cette vie, 
Portez au loin le nom de notre Dieu, 
Nous nous retrouverons un jour dans la patrie, 
Adieu, freres, adieu. 



Theophane Venard 230 

HYMN OF DEPARTURE. 
Translated by S. L. Emery. 
Ye heralds, bear glad tidings and God speed ye; 

Behold the day that your longing hearts have sought : 
With zeal undaunted no dangers may impede ye; 

Depart, dear friends, for your happiness is bought. 
The beauteous feet of Jesus' new anointed, 

We kiss with transports of holiest delight; 
Tidings of peace, then bring to fields appointed, 

Where reign sin and error, dark as night. 

REFRAIN 

Depart, dear friends, for this life 'tis forever; 

The Name of God to distant peoples tell: 
And we shall meet on high to part again, ah never; 

Farewell, brothers, farewell! 

Dear friends, on wings of the wind ye'll soon be riding; 

May happy breezes then bear ye afar: 
Fear not, for Mary her children e'er is guiding ; 

Look up to her, to your hope, to your star. 
Respect their mission, thou broad, mighty ocean, 

And bear them safe to their long journey's end ; 
Zeal so sublime should still your proud commotion. 

Your waves to their service swiftly bend. 

REFRAIN 

Oh ! haste to reach those countries long forsaken, 

The people plunged in the darkness of night ; 
Without the truth, without God, they're overtaken, 

They hopeless fall into Hell in their plight. 
Christ's soldiers, conquer for Him every nation, 

And may all men to your voices give heed ; 
Take ye the Light to every clime and station, 

Your standard's the Cross. Onward lead! 

REFRAIN 



240 A Modern Martyr 

In this career of your choice onward pressing, 

Give God your labors, your pains and your moil ; 
For ye will meet many trials sore distressing. 

Your life will pass amid hardships and toil. 
Perhaps the blood in your veins warmly flowing 

Will all be shed ; and those thrice blessed feet 
One day, perhaps, in heavy chains be going, 

The tortures of pagans to meet. 

REFRAIN 

Depart, depart, your dear brothers are calling. 

For time a breach in their ranks oft has made ; 
Then go ye out to the stricken and falling, 

Render harmless the tyrant's sharp blade. 
O happy friends, in their victories sharing. 

If ye will strive but their footsteps to trace, 
God ye has called, and crowns of glory wearing, 

Our martyrs extend their embrace. 

REFRAIN 

Go ye with zeal of apostles all burning, 

To labors, combats, and poverty bare, 
E'en unto death; it is these ye are earning, 

Behold the future God's soldiers will share. 
■Among us none has a heart that will falter ; 

Obedient all, to God's call we would fly, 
Happy to brave the hatchet and the halter; 

And, if we must die, we will die. 

REFRAIN 

jAnd soon, oh! soon, we shall follow your traces, 
To seek for souls the true Gospel to teach; 

We too shall cross o'er those vast, unknown spaces. 
To live and die for the Faith we shall preach. 

Oh! blessed day, when with hearts overflowing. 



Theophane Venard 241 

At last the King of Apostles we meet ; 
Rich recompense for labors then bestowing, 
As conquerors all He will greet. 

REFRAIN 

Tho' parting, still we shall claim ye as brothers, 

Then think of us before God every day; 
Let each unite in God's love with the others, 

And thus united we'll labor and pray. 
O God, O Jesus, our Master all-seeing! 

Protect us, guard us, and watch our last breath ; 
Thine are our hearts, our blood, and all our being, 

In life we are Thine, and in death. 

REFRAIN 

16 



Tributes to 
From Fr. Hudson, Editor of the Ave Maria. 



"The third borrower has just returned the book. 
Thank you much and many times over for an auto- 
graph copy. What a charming volume it is !" 



From Father Elliott, C. S. P., of the Apostolic 
Mission House, Washington, D. C. 



"It is a most delightful book and very touching 
indeed. It filled me with envy for the high privilege 
of Venard to die for the faith of Christ. I wish that 
every priest and every aspirant to the priesthood 
could read that book." 



From the Catholic Fortnightly Review. 



"These letters one might term models of the epis- 
tolary style, except that this expression seems too 
formal to apply to such natural, simple, and spontan- 
eous communications. They are so real that the living 
voice of the writer seems to linger about the pages 
as one reads." 



From His Eminence Cardinal Farley. 



"I am very grateful to you for making me acquainted 
with 'A Modern Martyr'. I think it is the most 
fascinating book I have read in a long time. I can 
hardly put it out of my hands, and have finished 
reading half of it already. I have instructed the 
President of our Cathedral College to place a copy 
in the hands of each of our petits seminaristes, and 
I feel convinced that no better book could be given 
them for their spiritual reading." 



Earlier Editions 

From the Very Rev. F. Henry, of Mill Hill 
College, England. 



"Thanks, many times over, for Theophane Venard, 
not only for the copy of the book itself, but above 
all for writing, publishing, and spreading it. It is 
bound to do an immense amount of good for the 
Cause which we both have so much at heart. The 
crowning glory will be when the United States of 
America starts her own Foreign Mission College, 
which I trust we shall both live to see. Before 
leaving Mill Hill, I gave the book to the Rector with 
instructions to have it read in the refectory." 



From Mary E. Mannix (Author). 



"I cannot tell you with what pleasure and edifica- 
tion I have read the life of Theophane Venard. It 
takes one back from the twentieth century, with its 
terrible 'Zeitgeist', to the ages of Faith, and makes one 
feel consoled to know that such souls are still born 
into the world. 

"What a beautiful, natural, simple family, alto- 
gether! And how hard it must have been for the 
sweet, pure, affectionate boy to leave them behind! 
Nothing, nothing, but supernatural grace can explain 
it. And that feature of the book alone is a sermon 
and a lesson in itself. It seems to me it is the hu- 
manity of the saints, as that of our Lord, which 
brings them nearer to us.*' 



Tributes to 
From the Catholic University Bulletin. 



**One cannot have too wide an acquaintance with 
noble Christian characters. In this age of ease, and 
of endless scientific discussion, of church-building, 
and of money-collecting, we need at times for our 
souls' sake to look to the example of the saints and 
heroes of God who are on the sterner side of life. 

^'Few biographies are better suited to remind us 
sweetly and forcibly of higher things than the volume 
presented to the public under the title, 'A Modern 
Martyr.' Modern, indeed, for it is within the lifetime 
of many of us that Theophane Venard, a young priest 
of only thirty-two years, went smiling and singing 
to a martyr's death. Priest and layman, old and 
young, will find in this book much to delight the mind 
and to lift up the heart." 



From the late Mary E. Blake (Author). 



**Ever since I read that very beautiful memoir of 
a beautiful life which you have given the English- 
speaking people, it has been on my mind to tell you 
of the deep impression it left upon me. 

*'It is so unusual to have in the record of a saint, 
in addition to its spiritual atmosphere and its helpful- 
ness towards reaching courage and steadfastness, such 
a memory of simple and sweet joyousness as the little 
book gives. It does not confound our poorer natures 
by its heights and depths — resplendent as those are in 
it. Something human and loving and intimate moves 
us to understanding and sympathy, and makes its 
appeal almost personal. You feel as if he would be 
friend as well as teacher. Thank you very much for 
making his story better known." 



Earlier Editions 

From the Catholic Transcript, Hartford, Conn. 



"Here we have the life of a martyr brought right 
up to date — ^the story of a young priest, Theophane 
Venard, who was beheaded for the faith in China 
some years ago. The Reverend Editor was naturally 
drawn to the theme before him by reason of his train- 
ing under the lamented Abbe Hogan, late Superior of 
St. John's Seminary, Brighton, Mass., who was or- 
dained in Paris on the same day as Blessed Theophane 
Venard. 

" 'A Modern Martyr' has all the charm and inter- 
est of a novel. In variety of incident, in wealth 
of detail, in careful analysis of character, it will not 
suffer by comparison with the latest production of 
fiction. It is brimful of human love and human in- 
terest. Chapters there are that, strung together, might 
be woven into a sweet tale based upon domestic affec- 
tion. Others there are that depict the development 
of the missionary instinct and its gradual unfolding and 
its final consummation in far-off China when Abbe 
Venard's blood crimsoned the soil of Tong-king. 
Nothing so edifying and inspiring has of late been re- 
corded in our missionary annals as the caknness and 
fortitude with which Theophane Venard bent his neck 
under the stroke of the executioner's axe in testimony 
of the faith delivered by the saints." 



From Bishop Casartelli, of Salford, England. 



"When I was a boy of ten, I was taken by a good 
Belgian priest to visit the Missions Etrangeres and 
the Salle des Martyrs. I shall never forget the im- 
pression of the latter, especially the sight of a young 



Tributes to Earlier Editions 

candidate kneeling at a priedieu and praying earnestly, 
probably for the grace of martyrdom. 

*'But I really knew nothing about foreign missions 
till 1870, when, on the day I received tonsure and 
minor orders, my mother gave me Lady Herbert's 
Theophane Venard, still one of the treasures of my 
library. It is one of the few books I have wept over 
in reading. To it I owe my taste for and interest in 
foreign missions, and although the taste never led to 
anything practical, for I never had the personal call, 
it led among other things, to my becoming Editor of 
Illustrated Catholic Missions from 1889 to 1903, when 
I was compelled to give up the cherished post for the 
undesired episcopate. The editorship was the happiest 
avocation of my life. 

*'Judge, then, of my delight at receiving your ad- 
mirable revised and augmented edition of my favorite 
book. You have done the work remarkably well. 
Pray accept my sincerest thanks and warmest con- 
gratulations. May this golden Life have a great cir- 
culation and stir up the missionary fire in many 
hearts." 



A French edition of the life and letters of Blessed 
Theophane Venard, as well as those of Just de 
Bretenieres (martyr in Korea) and Blessed Pierre 
Chanel (martyr in Futuna) may be secured at the 
Catholic Foreign Mission Bureau, Maryknoll, Ossin- 
ing P. O., N. Y. 



The present work has been translated into Italian, 
under the title Un Martire Moderno, by the Rev. Paolo 
Manna, of Milan. 



ON the opposite page our readers will find a reference 
to The Field Afar. This paper is the organ of the 
Catholic Foreign Mission Seminary, now established in 
its permanent home at Maryknoll, Ossining P. O., New 
York. 

The Field Afar began its mission in 1907 and has at- 
tracted world-wide notice. Its subscribers commonly 
assert that they read it from cover to cover. 

Practical editorials, touches of missionary life that ap- 
peal to all classes, recent important happenings, and 
stories illustrating the apostolic spirit as well as life on 
the field, — these are the features, carefully grouped, that 
make The Field Afar a welcome visitor wherever it goes. 



SUBSCRIPTION RATES FOR THE FIELD AFAR. 

Ordinary Subscription Fifty cents a year 

Associate Subscription, including a share 

in the works and suffrages of the 

Catholic Foreign Mission Society One dollar a year 



SPECIAL RATES FOR SCHOOLS, SODALITIES, 
SOCIETIES, ETC. 

For one year to any single address: 

10 copies (for twelve issues) $ 4.00 

25 copies (for twelve issues) 10.00 

50 copies (for twelve issues) 20.00 

100 copies (for twelve issues) 40 . 00 

Address: The Field Afar 

Foreign Mission Seminary 

Maryknoll, Ossining P. O., N. Y. 

A few interesting tributes to The Field Afar have been 
reproduced on the following pages. 



A SAMPLE PAGE 



DOES IT ATTRACT YOU? 



m 



THE FIELD AFAR 

DEVOTED TO THE INTERESSlMlliiipIC^^I^^ 




i^^^^eMW^^ a^»s-> mptccsv^cui^-i^'i^^'i'- 



VOL. IILi|li|;|i| 



Tr'.batiss- X-cat »»d Far - 







FAMILY READING IN JAPAN. 



CI A monthly mission magazine. 

Cf Actual size 9 x 11 inches, 

5! Contains abundant illustrations from many parts of the world. 

CI Published by the CATHOLIC FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY. 

MARYKNOLL, OSSINING P. O.. N. Y. 



TRIBUTES TO THE FIELD AFAR 



The Field Afar is excellent. — Bishop Casartelli^ Bedford, 
England. 



I am of those who read it from Alpha to Omega. — Father 
Forbes, ISiiperior of White FatJiers, Quebec, Canada. 



It is certainly a well-eclitecl pap^r. To not fail to exchange 
with us. — Rev. P. Paulo Maxxa. M. Ap., Editor 'Le Missioni 
CattoUche/ Milaiu Itahj. 



A completely new spirit. — an object lesson for the whole 
English-speaking world. God knows it was badiy v.'anting. — 
Rev. H. Brown^ S. J., University College^ Duhlin, Ireland. 



I rejoice to learn that the work of the missioners is being 
made known in the United States through The Field Afar. — 
Editor of Axthropos^ Vienna, Austria. 



It is most interestingly conducted, the material and form 
equally admirable. There is a variety and life in it which our 
old countries in Europe have not yet known how to catch. — 
Bishop Mutel^ Korea. 



It is destined to promote a great and noble purpose, the 
work of building up Christ in souls. The work to be performed 
here is immense and only awaits missionary laborers and assist- 
ance, spiritual and temporal, from those to whom the Faith 
1 as been preached for centuries. The Field Afar deserves every 
encouragement and I shall recommend it to all our Catholics. 
— M. Kex'X'^elly, S. J., Shanghai, China. 



From the ''' CathcUc Transcript/' Hartford, Conn. 

The Field Afar is a powerful youngster already rejoicing 
in a large circulation of 15,000. It aims high and it is devel- 
oping a rapid stride. AVe predict that, within five years, another 
cipher must be added to the three that stand at the right of 
the " 15," in order to give an adequate idea of the wonderful 
growth of this most interesting monthly. 

The success of the paper is an index to the progress of 
the movement which it represents. The Catholic Foreign Mis- 
sion Society of America is in its infancy, but the cause to which 
it is consecrated is as old as the Church. The harvest is ripe 
and our people are not without the gift of apostolic charity. 
The prosperous Church of the United States will not be true 
to herself if she hesitates to take part in the perennial and 
Heaven-imposed task of evanaelizing the heathen. The Mis- 
sion Society has a glorious field and the laborers who have 
already entered it are cultivating the soil with zeal and with a 
prudence which gives earnest of a splendid harvest. 



TRIBUTES TO THE FIELD AFAR 

From " America." 
The Field Afar, a monthly published in the interests of 
the Apostolic Seminary at MaryknoU, Ossining, N. Y., grows 
in attractiveness with each new issue. There are sixteen pages 
in this little publication, fourteen of them devoted to reading 
matter and two to notices and advertisements. A. personal 
touch to all the articles puts The Field Afar in a class by 

itself. It is most readable and most instructive 

In reading the issue for April, we thought what an excellent 
paper it is to put into the hands of our Catholic children, 
whether attending the parish schools or the Sunday schools. 



The fulness of Christian charity is never to be found in 
the hearts of Catholics unless there be an expression ot t..e 
desire to spread the Kingdom of Christ throughout the world, 
•especially in those lands whose inhabitants are still sitting in 
the darkness of infidelity and the shadow of spiritual death. 
Our fathers did their noble share in spreading the Faith when 
they carried it as a sacred treasure from the land of their birth 
and planted it in all its vigor in the land of their adoption. 
That the apostolic mission of a former generation was well 
■done, the marvelous expansion and present development in many 
States of the Union amply testify. The children of such sires, 
to be worthy of their lineage, must do their share in propa- 
gating the Faith, and for this purpose a knowledge of what 
is done or is planned to be done in mission fields is a prime 
necessity. 



Day after day we read of the departure of Protestants, 
men and women, to foreign lands to join the truly astounding 
number of active workers belonging to the sects in all parts 
of the globe. The coffers of their missionary societies are be- 
ing replenished by organized efforts to secure contributions, 
be thev ever so sraall, from all the churches that dot the land, 
;and by the colossal fortunes that are bequeathed for thie 
furtherance of the same inspiring cause. 



American Catholics give signs of waking up to that which 
is in itself a duty and the neglect of which will become a 
greater reproach if thev are less zealous than such as possess 
only a tithe of that blessed heritage of the Faith which all 
Catholics possess in the fulness received from Christ and the 
Apostles. There are a score of ways in which zeal and interest 
in the great cause of missionary development may be mani- 
fested. One of the simplest and the most direct, in which 
oven those mav share whose income allows them to spend but 
little, is the support of a paper like The Field Afar. If the 
Catholic paper in the home is a perpetual mission, a pa])er 
treating of the missions is an inspiration, an inspiration to 
share the highest good that man can share with his lellow 
man. 



From the '' Catholic Guardian/' Jaffna, Ceylon. 
The Field Afar is the very bright, sparkling organ o\ the 
'Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America. We note with 
extreme pleasure the founding and progress of tliis SiH^ety ana 
of its college for the training of American priests tor the 
foreign missions. The voung Church in America proves its 
vitality bv the trulv Catholic zeal witli which it has taken 
up this noble work. We wish MaryknoU CTods])eed. and may the 
example of the younger Church stir up the energies ol Im r iMdtM 
sister in the British Isles ! 




REV. WILLIAM H. JUDGE, S. J. 



AN AMERICAN 
MISSIONARY 

(Third Edition) 
THE STORY OF REV. WILLIAM H. JUDGE, S. J. 

IN ALASKA 

TOLD BY HIS BROTHER, A PRIEST OF ST. SULPICE 

Introduction by His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons 



•••*•••••»••*•••••••••••••»••••»•••< 



THIS new edition of Father Judge's life and 
letters will be welcomed by all his friends 
and by the increasing number of those whose 
Catholic hearts beat in full sympathy with the in- 
trepid missioners ' beyond the frontiers.' The head- 
ings of the chapters are enough to incite readers, who 
will wish to know more about the Yukon, Forty 
Mile Post and Circle City, the Rush to the Klon- 
dike and Dawson City. The excellent reviews of 
the first edition have been printed at the end of the 
present volume and bear testimony to the inspiring 
letters within. 



304 pages. In Cloth, 20 illustrations. 

Price, 50 cents. Postage, 12 cents. 

CATHOLIC FOREIGN MISSION BUREAU 

MARYKNOLL, OSSINING P. 0„ N. ^'. 



THOUGHTS FROM MODERN MARTYRS 

IMacle up of short sentences from 

Just de Bretenicres 

Blessed TIieoplia)ie J\')iard and 

Henry Dorie^all 19th century martyrs and alumni of 

the Paris Seminary for Foreign Missions. 
Includes also a brief sketch of the life of each. 




4! 



JUST DE BRETEXIERE5 

This is a small book, suitable for occasional reading. It 
contains 122 pages, printed in large, clear type, and is illus- 
trated with photographs of the three martyrs. 

Price, in leather, 75 cents: in cloth, 40 cents. 

Address THE CATHOLIC FOREIGX ^IISSIOX BUREAU 

:^Iaryknoll, Ossining P. O., X. Y. 



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT CATHOLIC MISSIONS 

General 

Christian Missions Marshall 

The Workers are Few Fr. Manna 

Our Lord's Last Will and Testament Dr. AJiaus 

Mission Work in America 

(a) Biographical and Historical: 
An American Missionary 

Notes of a Missionary Priest in the Rockj* Mountains 

The Iroquois and the Jesuits 

Catholic Pioneers in America — Murray 

Over the Rocky Mountains to Alaska 

Indian Sketches — De Smet 

Sebastian Rasle 

Life of Fr. Isaac Jogues, S. J. 

Pioneer Priests of North America — Fr. Campbell 

Across Wildest America — Fr. Devine 

Western Missions and Missionaries — De Smet 

Life of Bishop Machebeuf, Pioneer Priest of New Mex- 
ico, Colorado and Utah 

Life of Very Rev. E. De Andreis, Fir?-t Supei^ior of the 
Congreg-ation of the Mission in the United States 

Missions of the Rocky Mountains 

Missions among the American Indians 

Fr. Lacombe — The Black-Robe Voyageur 

(b) Stories: 

The Story of a Mission Indian 

Lot Leslie's Folks — Their Queer Adventures among the 
French and Indians 

Foreign 

(a) Biographical and Historical: 
A Modern Martyr 

Just de Bretenieres 

The Dominican Martyrs of Tonkin 

First Martyrs of Holy Childhood — Lady Herbert 

Travels in Tartary and Thibet — Hue 

The Catholic Church in China — Rev. B. Wolferstan, S. J. 

Life of Ven. Colin, Founder and First Superior-Gen- 
eral of the Society of Mary 

Life of Bishop de Mazenod, Founder of the Oblates of 
Mary Immaculate 

The Lepers of Molokai — Stoddard 

The Catholic Missions of Southern Burma 

Thoughts from Modern Martyrs 

Dominican Missions and Martyrs in Japan 

The Cross in Japan 

Japanese Martyrs 

Missions in Japan and Paraguay 

St. Francis Xavier ^ ^ ^, ^, , ^ 

Missionary Labors of Mgr. de Mazenod and the Oblates 

The Apostle of Abyssinia 

(b) Stories: ,^ . , x- s 
Love Your Enemies (A Tale of the Maori Insurrection) 
Prince Arumugan (A Tale of India) 

Maron (A Youth of Lebanon) 

The Queen's Nephew (A Story of Early Japan) 
The Cabin Boys (A Story for the Young) 
Children of Mary (A Tale of the Caucasus) 
Laurentia (A Tale of Japan) 
Chinese Lanterns — Alice Dease 
The above lists have been prepared to suggest sourtvs of 
information and interest. Tlie supply o1 C athoiu' i i^-^^i;^!} 
literature in English Is scant, but a growing ^^^^"^^^ y,^.;^^'| 
doubtless stimulate the production of more books tuatm^ ol 
this vital subject. 

For further information address the : 

CATHOLIC FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY, 
Maryknoll, Ossining P. O., N. Y. 



A LIST OF PAMPHLETS 



The ^Mission Field of the Nineteenth Century — • 

Cardinal Moran 
The Catholic Foreign Alission Field 
English Catholics and the Foreign ^lissions 
A Sister of Charity in China 
Chinese AA^ayside Tales 
More Chinese Tales 
Cardinal Vaughan 
St. Francis Xavier 
Fr. Damien / 
Catholic Church in Japan 
Martyrs of Japan 
A Martyr of Japan (Fr. Alastrilli) 
The Religions of Japan 

St. Peter Claver (The Apostle of the Negroes) 
Lazarus, an Indian ]\Iart3T 
The Religion of China 
An American Hindu on Hinduism 
Catholic ^Missions 
Catholic ^fissions in Japan 
China and Korea 

Jesuit ^lissionaries in Northern India 
Don Bosco 

Indian Languages and Early Catholic ^Missions 
An Apology for Foreign Missions 

For further information address the 

CATHOLIC FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY 
Maryknoll, Ossining P. O., N. Y. 



** I am very grateful to you for making me acquainted 
with ' A Modern Martyr.' I think it is the most fascina- 
ting book I have read for a long time. I can hardly put it 
out of my hands, and have finished reading half of it al- 
ready. I have instructed the President of our Cathedral 
College to place a copy in the hands of each of our petits 
seminar isteSy and I feel convinced that no better book could 
be given them for their spiritual reading." — Cardinal Farle]^. 

'* Thanks, many times over, for Theophane Venard, 
not only for the copy of the book itself, but above all for 
writing, publishing, and spreading it. It is bound to do 
an immense amount of good for the Cause which we both 
have so much at heart. . . . Before leaving Mill Hill, I 
gave the book to the Rector with instructions to have it read 
in the refectory." — Very Rev. F. Henry, Mill Hill, 
England. 

*' ' A Modern Martyr ' has all the charm and interest 
of a novel. In variety of incident, in wealth of detail, in 
careful analysis of character, it will not suffer by compari- 
son with the latest production of fiction. It is brimful of 
human love and human interest. . . . Nothing so edifying 
and inspiring has of late been recorded in our missionary 
annals as the calmness and fortitude with which Theophane 
Venard bent his neck under the stroke of the executioner's 
axe in testimony of the faith delivered by the saints." — 
Catholic Transcript, Hartford, Conn. 



H 156 82 «< 




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